Are you worried about paying off student loans? Here are some things you should know.
Research shows the average bachelor’s degree in California can cost from $45,000-$225,000. Very few students can foot that bill entirely without going into debt.
If you’re counting on a career to pay off your student loans and provide plenty to live on, there are a few things to consider when weighing your options:
Calculate the Potential for Growth
You may think a college degree will pay for itself once you get your foot in the door at a new job, but it can take years after college to move into a higher-paying position, all while the interest on your loan grows. Deferment is only good for about six months and the less you pay on your loans, the longer it takes to pay off.
Don’t Expect to Take Home the Full Salary
The average starting salary for recent grads is $51,000. After pay deductions and student loan payments, you may find that you are living on less than half of that.
What if there was a career that would allow you to do more with your life, make a difference in your community, and gives you a comfortable income AND the opportunity to pay off student loans fast? Joining the California Highway Patrol offers all of the above with starting pay in the high $90,000’s. Even as a Cadet at the CHP Academy you will be well-paid, get free room and board, as well as full health and dental benefits for yourself and your family.
The California Highway Patrol has an average starting salary well over $90,000 making it one of the highest paying law enforcement jobs in the nation. That means you have the potential to make well over $100,000 a year! And that doesn’t even account for specialty pay incentives for things like having a degree or speaking another language.
Your College Experience Offers Important Perspective
One out of five college graduates end up in a career that has nothing to do with their field of study. That doesn’t mean your experience in college will go to waste. That is an incredibly valuable time in your life. A time where you matured, grew intellectually and socially and began to see the world is much bigger than yourself.
Are you made for more? Explore CHP opportunities, email a recruiter at recruiting@chp.ca.gov or call direct at 916.843.3275 (toll-free at 1.888.422.4756) to start a career that will not only help pay student loans fast but give you more of what you’re looking for.
