Make sure the student debt is worth it

Student loans are a $1-trillion burden in the United States. But the load can feel particularly heavy here on Long Island, where indebted young graduates face tepid employment prospects, a sky-high cost of living and the need for a car to get around.

That's why it's imperative for the parents of college-bound teens to think long and hard about whether it's a good idea to borrow upward of $100,000 to get a degree in an ill-paid specialty.

That's not to say young people should be discouraged from a degree in social work or the arts. On the contrary, such dreams should be nurtured; it would be tragic if money were the only thing allowed to determine a career path. But families in these circumstances should consider a state school that delivers a solid education at a much lower cost.

The State University of New York -- and its urban counterpart, the City University of New York -- are among the nation's greatest bargains for bachelor's degrees. Graduates of such institutions as Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College, whose low tuitions require less borrowing, are all the better equipped to pursue career goals, especially ones that historically pay little, when they get out into the world of work.

At the same time, private colleges and universities have to do a better job of controlling costs. Their graduates can't soar if they leave school chained to a mountain of debt.