CREDIT: BURLINGHAM / THINKSTOCK
You can either graduate from post-secondary education with no debt or no connections.

Premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced a new program to provide funding for those who wish to attend post-secondary education, but may not have the means to do so. Regardless of what her intentions may be, it’s time to pay attention not only to those who struggle to enter post-secondary, but also to those who are struggling after they’ve left.

Remember that bartender at Jack’s last Thursday? She probably has a degree. Do you remember that 30-year-old at the checkout at Shoppers Drug Mart? Chances are that person has one too. Colleges and universities are the new high schools, and considering that they’re designed to be specialized job training, that’s a problem.

One of Fanshawe’s most popular programs is Police Foundations. They’re the group of grey shirts who are perpetually doing laps of campus. Thousands of students have completed the program with flying colours, yet only a minuscule percentage of those graduates are working in law enforcement. The FAQ page for the Toronto Police literally states, “There is no requirement by the Toronto Police Service for a candidate to attend any Police Foundations or Law and Security program.” I would almost feel bad singling out Police Foundations if not for the plethora of publications and forums devoted to bemoaning how useless the program is for preparing students to become a police officer, let alone giving them a leg up.

There are only a couple of months left until tens of thousands of students enter the job market. If you’re one of those students and you don’t have a job lined up yet, you’re in trouble. If you were relying on government loans to get you through school, they’re about to stop. If you were fortunate enough to have parents who paid for you to drink on weeknights for two years, you’d better hope they’re willing to pay for you to intern with a company for the next couple of months. In short, if you thought projects and exams were stressful, you’d better brace yourself.

Post-secondary education is a machine that lures you in, holds your hand and spits you out with a piece of paper and a bunch of debt. Guidance counsellors and post-secondary institutions are perpetuating the myth that because of education inflation, everyone needs a degree to be competitive in the current job market. The reality is that education inflation just makes your degree even less valuable.

For a sizable sub-section of students, there is a choice between internships and a part-time job while in school. You can either graduate with connections that could lead to employment or graduate with little to no debt. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find employment without those connections and yet the entry-level positions available to connected graduates don’t pay enough to tackle the student debt that has accumulated. Tune in next week to find out which programs are a sure-fire path to under-employment and why OSAP is a cash grab in its own right.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.