Roadmap to Investing in Yourself

The Roadmap to Investing in Yourself: The Real Costs of a College Education, 2nd Edition discusses many of the economic misconceptions about earning a college degree. While it is widely believed that attending college in itself guarantees wealth, thinking of a college degree as a commodity has kept students, parents, and higher education professionals from understanding the full range of short-term and long-term costs. This book illustrates how the promotion of education merely as a commodity comes at a high price for both the individual and society. Authors Tara Jabbaar-Gyambrah and Seneca Vaught argue that the idea of ‘investment’ must shift from a short-sighted view, focusing only on economic concerns, to a broader and more holistic understanding of what college costs and what students can expect in return.

Now more than ever before, today's college students will benefit from this comprehensive guide that offers invaluable insight into college success. This book provides students and their families with the tools to develop patterns and practices of success unique to each learner. Jabbaar-Gyambrah and Vaught equip readers with practical knowledge to engage in the full value of higher education.--Heather I. Scott, assistant dean for inclusive leadership curriculum and co-curriculum, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, The next phase in the evolution of college readiness requires K-12 educators, parents, and even students to think critically about the traditional pathway of borrowing money to participate in higher education. Those making misinformed decisions expose themselves to a higher likelihood of facing economic servitude, due to an inability to free themselves from years of student loan debt. This is even more problematic for those simply seeking to use higher education as a pathway to social and economic mobility. The Roadmap to Investing in Yourself: The Real Costs of a College Education, 2nd edition, is a roadmap for avoiding the unwanted and unnecessary financial pitfalls of postsecondary participation.--Eric Jay Rosser, Superintendent of Schools, Poughkeepsie City School District, Poughkeepsie, New York, The Roadmap to Investing in Yourself should be a part of any high-school-and-post-secondary economics curriculum. Tara Jabbaar-Gyambrah and Seneca Vaught dismantle the argument that a college education automatically yields a greater financial return. This book challenges readers to weigh the costs between investing in attending college versus investing in self. Readers will ponder whether colleges have become the modern-day Pinocchio who have resorted to subterfuge to make the nose of tuition-increases grow longer and longer.--Raphael C. Heaggans, Special-Education administrator, North Forestville Elementary School, Forestville, Maryland

Tara Jabbaar-Gyambrah, PhD, is a part-time assistant professor in the interdisciplinary studies department at Kennesaw State University and senior education consultant at TMJ Consulting in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Jabbaar-Gyambrah is an advocate for student success and a recipient of the John B. Muir Award from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).Seneca Vaught, PhD, is an associate professor of history and interdisciplinary studies at Kennesaw State University who combines his expertise in policy and applied historical methods to address contemporary problems.He has won a teaching excellence award for his innovative and project-oriented approach to the classroom and the William Wells Brown Award for his ongoing support of African American history and community development.