We’re setting out to produce a film called Broke, Busted, and Disgusted. The documentary will examine issues of rising tuition, mounting student debt, and the potential future of higher education at colleges and universities here in the United States. You can get more information and see some occasional updates at the film’s page: http://bbdthefilm.com/
Over the past 30 years, the United States has seen a consistent increase in the cost of college tuition (four times more than CPI) and a soaring level of student debt (more than $1 trillion as of March 2012). Money well spent considering that the yearly number of graduates considered “academically excellent” has seen a similar up-curve. Yet at the same time, more and more employers are saying that college graduates lack the skills needed to place them in open jobs and are forced to spend time and money training new hires. So what is happening during those four (or five…or six) years?
During college students live the dream of traveling across the globe, eating in gourmet dining centers, exercising in brand new rec facilities, and attending endless student activities. After college, graduates are shocked by a reality of tight job prospects and staggering monthly payments. Yet the problem is not that more and more graduates are in tough financial situations. The problem is that it takes so many of them by surprise, even though it is exactly the situation for which they signed up.
Broke, Busted, and Disgusted will examine the educational system in three broad questions:
- Is there something wrong with the system?
- Is there a way to work the system?
- Is there a way to fix the system?
Broke, Busted, and Disgusted will ask all of these questions, and any more that may lead to a better educational system. We don’t believe we have the answers. We just believe there is a problem which, if fixed, can help lead us back to wealth, health, and happiness.
Again, check out the documentary website here: http://bbdthefilm.com/
or join the conversation on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/bbdthefilm
