A23, I don’t necessarily think that I’ll be the one to buck the trend. But it fits with my general take on the whole scene – I don’t need job rates to rise – I just need to find one job, and in that regard my personal risk/reward is definitely worthwhile. Do you know what the unemployment rate and pay scale are like for yeshiva graduates in general?
In the worst economy since the Great Depression, 65% of Columbia grads had jobs within a short time of graduation – most of those in the high six figures. Recent recruiting and firm finances in general have been up. If I can’t make $160,000, income based repayment will allow me to make the same living I’m making now, with more opportunity to control my own career.
Again, I’m not being an oiberchochom. I don’t claim to have a secret that no one else has. I am not comfortable AT ALL with the immense investment, but I’m even less comfortable with chickening out and getting stuck behind the counter of KFS.