大学文凭仍是跻身最富1%人群的跳板

    失业率居高不下，在这种环境下，沉重的助学贷款负担，引发了当前“占领华尔街”（Occupy Wall Street）运动中的部分抗议活动。本月早些时候，大学生们被号召参与到“占领大学”（Occupy Colleges）的活动中来；“占领大学”活动从一个Facebook网页和Twitter账户开始迅速蔓延。

    由于学费大幅上涨，去年美国的助学贷款额度甚至超过了信用卡的欠债额度，有鉴于此，目前的抗议活动并不太令人意外。正如丹•普里马克上周所指，或许眼下学生们更应该要求大学降低学费，而不是要求华尔街进行改革。

    不可否认，这些年轻人近来在就业市场上举步维艰。但有一点很重要，必须指出，拥有学士学位的人相比那些没有学位的人可能会挣得更多一些（即便不能跻身最富有的1%人群）。对于一场主要针对美国社会不公的运动而言，这一点颇具讽刺意味，因为自我标榜为99%的群体内部也远谈不上公平。

    这些20多岁、背负沉重债务的年轻人在就业道路上也面临着重重障碍。新近毕业的大学生们需要花费更多时间才能找到工作，并开始接受无需大学文凭的工作。另外，他们挣得更少了。罗格斯大学（Rutgers University）5月份发布的一份报告显示，2009年和2010年大学本科毕业生的起薪中值为27,000美元，低于2006年至2008年间就业的大学生起薪30,000美元。

    所有这些或许会降低在校大学生继续贷款完成学业的动力。但这绝对是短视行为。

    没错，现在大学费用很高。助学贷款信息追踪网站Finaid.org的数据显示，四年制本科生的平均累计负债自2003-04年起每年增加1,139美元，增幅5.6%。纽约联邦储备银行（Federal Reserve Bank of New York）日前宣布助学贷款额已首次突破1万亿美元大关。但学士学位提高了获聘和赚钱潜力。正如《财富》杂志（Fortune）近日所指，布鲁金斯学会（Brookings Institution）汉密尔顿项目（Hamilton Project）6月份的一份报告显示，在22岁时，大学毕业生的平均收入相比于仅有高中文凭的人高出约70% 。

    随着年龄增长，前景会进一步改善。2010年，身处职业顶峰（或50岁）的大学生们相比于仅有高中文凭的人多挣约46,000美元。

    因此，虽然那些站在“我们是99%”阵营中的人们眼下可能感到受了冷落，但是几年后，对于获得了大学学位的这部分人，这种感觉可能会渐渐减弱。

    The burden of student loans amid high unemployment is driving part of the protests among the Occupy Wall Street movement. Earlier this month college students were encouraged to join the call through Occupy Colleges, which started as a Facebook page and Twitter handle.

    This isn't much of a surprise, given soaring tuition costs and the fact that Americans last year began owing more on their student loans than their credit cards. As Dan Primack pointed out last week, perhaps it's time for students to start demanding lower tuition from colleges instead of reform on Wall Street.

    No one will argue that the young haven't had a rough go in the job market lately. But it's important to point out that those people with a bachelor's degree are likely to earn more -- if not rise to the richest 1% -- than those without one. Which is ironic for a movement based largely on anger at the inequities of America since the spectrum of folks who identify themselves as part of the 99% are far from equal.

    Needless to say, 20-somethings mired in debt face huge hurdles entering the working world. It has taken recent grads longer to secure jobs and they're taking jobs that don't need a college degree. What's more, they're earning less. Graduates of four-year colleges in 2009 and 2010 earned a median starting salary of $27,000, down from $30,000 for those who entered the work force between 2006 to 2008, according to a Rutgers University study released in May.

    All this might give students across college campuses less incentive to take on more debt and finish college. But that's just short-sighted.

    True, the cost of college is steep. For those with a four-year bachelor's degree, the average cumulative debt has increased by 5.6% or $1,139 a year since 2003-04, according to Finaid.org. And the Federal Reserve Bank of New York just announced that student loan debt topped $1 trillion for the first time. But a bachelor's degree boosts hiring and earnings potential. As Fortune highlighted recently, at 22, the average college grad earns about 70% more than the average person with only a high school degree, according to a June study by Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project.

    The prospects get better with age. In 2010, college graduates at the peak of their careers (or 50 years old) earned about $46,000 more than those with only a high school diploma.

    So while those in the "We are 99%" camp might feel left out today, the segment earning college degrees might feel less so years from now.