My friend Russell recently shocked me with some horrible news: he is no longer going to Chapman University because the tuition is beyond him. Despite a financial aid package, he cannot afford the required course and enrollment fees without support from his parents, who are sadly unwilling to pay. It’s not that his mother and father do not value education – it’s just that because Russell is undecided on his career goals, his family sees little reason in “wasting” their hard-earned salaries on expensive yet unspecialized classes. So instead of discovering his passions in life through higher learning, Russell is relegated to job hunting for employment far below his intellectual ability. He may get the chance to take some community college courses next semester, but there is no doubt that a nugget of his future has been robbed by the flaws of modern education.

So what went wrong? Why is Russell interviewing to be a sales clerk when he could already be in school? The main issue with much of the educational system today, but particularly institutes of higher learning, is the lack of affordability. Let’s face it – the average annual tuition for a private four-year college like Chapman is $26,273 and rising. And that number doesn’t even include room and board, textbooks, or meal plans. Public universities suffer the same sickness, with the worst estimates predicting a feverish 30% cost increase by next year. It’s no surprise that money is shamefully among the primary concerns of prospective students such as Russell. That truly disgusts me. Applicants should never pass over their dream school due to financial pressures, for that intangible match, that perfect fit, is not worth sacrificing. Yet too often it happens.

The incorrect solution to this problem is to pick up the shovel of student loans and dig oneself waist deep in debt. Yes, education is important, but it is not greater than life. The unhappy scholars who rely on borrowing will gain much insight into a beautiful world, a world they can never really experience until 20 years later when they are finally debt-free. By then, with their youth sapped and spirits aged, they will regret the day they chose to sign that loan. There must be a better choice.

Training for education – that is the answer. College attendees ultimately seek professional vocation through expertise in a particular subject matter. However, no job is all theoretical bookwork; in order to become a skilled worker, whether a physician or physicist or pharmacist, one needs practical, hands-on training. Meanwhile, colleges always have room for more student helpers. For example, schools could use extra undergraduate lab aides to boost their research productivity and fund developing projects. Therefore, what I propose is an internship program that replaces normal tuition fees in exchange for labor pertinent to the student’s field of study. That way, individuals like Russell can travel two roads in one journey, finding both employment and education harmoniously as one. That way, individuals like him can learn freely.