Butler County Community College says one of their new courses for high school students is offering real-world help to prepare for the future.
Nearly 40 Butler Senior High School students are enrolled in BC3’s financial literacy course this spring. It’s a part of the college’s inaugural dual-enrollment program.
One of the main objectives of the course is to weigh the return on investment of their career choice against the student-loan debt they accrue.
“With a four-year degree in some fields, you may be starting at a salary of around $50,000,” Julianne Louttit, BC3’s director of financial aid said. “There are all kinds of tools and resources to review based on different careers. Does it make sense to have $80,000 in student-loan debt when you are going to start at a salary of $50,000 and when that four-year degree can be made more affordable by starting at a community college, then transferring?
U.S. millennials, those ages 24 to 40, according to cnbc.com in October, owe an average of $39,000 on student loans. That’s about half of their nearly $87,500 average debt.
“It’s not that I try to scare them. But they do need to see the reality,” Louitt said.
BC3 plans to continue with the Early College Pioneers program next fall.
