Ever since the first grade, I’ve tried to think of ways to get out of going to school. I played every line in the book. It made me become a bit of a hypochondriac, which came in handy while living with my parents, but once I made it to college, I couldn’t fool myself.

No sickness could help me escape the fact that I couldn’t wait to get out of school. In middle school and high school I had a countdown taped to the inside of my locker that kept track of my closest break.

While college is much better, 17 straight years of education has proven to be incredibly draining. Yet, somehow, I find myself considering going to…graduate school.

(Oh, kill me.)

I’m not alone though. Tons of other college students are leaning toward getting their master’s for many reasons, but mainly to postpone entering our amazing economy.

Every college student that I’ve spoken with has at least considered it. I guess I had just missed the memo.

Brian Smith, a junior at the University of South Florida, started at USF this semester and is already planning for graduate school.

“I’m a music education major,” he said. “Really, there’s no chance that I’ll get that job right out college. So, I might as well do grad school, right?”

Maybe.

Well, the job market is especially promising for print journalism majors. I’ve heard about it from basically every teacher, guest speaker in class, and any other random person that knows my major. It really never gets old hearing that my future is going down the drain and that I should consider a backup plan. I’m not really a backup plan kind of girl but everyone’s making me think I should be.

So, I’ve begun to consider prolonging my educational career even though I’m not really interested. There are some good things that could come out of it, though. For one, it might give me more time to more experience to increase my marketability. Maybe I’d have more time to land an awesome internship. I might even learn something that would put me way ahead of my competition. Also, maybe by the time it took me to finish with my master’s, the economy will be back in good – or at least decent – shape.

I’ve heard it from so many people, “I don’t really know what I’ll end up doing but having my master’s will make it better.”

Well, yeah, but there’s arguments for not going to graduate school, too. One of those being the whole reason why our country can’t give us enough jobs in the first place: money.

As the country waits to see if President Obama’s stimulus plan actually works, we can’t predict what the economy will be like in December when I graduate, let alone in three or four years. Maybe it will be better but maybe it won’t be.

I’ll have been lucky enough to get my bachelor’s degree with less than $10,000 in loans. If I were to continue and get my master’s who knows how much in loans I’ll have to repay.

Depending on where I would choose to attend graduate school, it could cost anywhere between $12,000 and $20,000 in tuition alone.

For me, the whole money thing carries a lot of weight and counts as about three valid arguments. Then there is, of course, my love for sitting in classrooms all day.

For many, a bachelor’s degree alone will mean nothing in their chosen field. Junior psychology student at USF, Jennifer Geneus, wishes she had the choice.

“People in my field would laugh at me if I only had a bachelor’s degree,” she said.

While Geneus anticipates another five years or so of school, I can’t say that I’m swayed one way or the other.

For some people the answer is obvious and the reasons for or against are strong. Sure, it could put me at an advantage but at a high price. Maybe it’s worth it but maybe it’s not.

The Constitution specifically states that we are to be a country forged not under a single religion, but that we are to embrace those that come from many.  Even with Christianity in all of its forms being the majority religious belief, according to a study done in March 2009 reported by the Christian Post, the number of non-religious Americans has doubled in every state from 1990.  On top of the decline in Christian believers, the total non-believer population has gone form 8 to 15 percent in the time frame.  This includes atheists (no God) and agnostics (not sure), as well as deistics (belief in a higher power, but not necessarily God).

The study also shows that mainline Christianity and Catholicism are on contraction, shedding numbers overall (some minor sects showing small gains, however) while a generic brand of Christianity has begun to consume a good portion of the non-denominational believers.

With prayer still being commonplace in sport, there are even some that wish to have public prayer before games for the crowd to take part in as well.  Given the data on the contraction in religious Americans over the last two decades, for us to uphold the rights granted to the populace by our government, this would be an offense against those who are of a non-Christian faith.

The Washington Post reported on a case the Supreme Court ruled in 2000 against the use of the PA system to announce public prayers at high school football games in Texas, even if they were student organized.  The ruling does not disallow private prayers, but it upholds the rights of those who do not wish to be subjected to it.  A private prayer doesn’t intrude on a citizen’s right to not participate, but a public prayer can isolate those who do not share the same belief.

This can also be applied to those of other religious faiths such as Islam, Buddhism and Hindu.  Their prayers, beliefs and understanding of their own religions do not work harmoniously with Christianity, Judaism, and Catholicism, and even the latter three contradict and cause friction among their own beliefs.  With the United States being a melting pot of many religions, for fair treatment to be upheld, even only to the religious and excluding those who do not believe, several forms of prayer would have to be held.

How many Christians would enjoy being forced to pray to Mecca?

Peter Roby, director of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University said it best.  ”Not allowing it doesn’t mean you’re anti-religious or anti-faith; it means you’re trying to be respectful of everyone.  Sometimes being respectful to everybody means that you have to refrain from things you would prefer to do as a team because you don’t want to exclude or offend anyone.”

Those who choose not to support public prayer are not acting against those who are religious.  Most respect others rights to believe and take comfort in their religion and practice their faith.

Isn’t religion supposed to teach tolerance for other beliefs and respect anyway?

I can’t think of a single reason not to take advantage, and here’s a little help:

Top budget travel destinations for 2009 (according to Budget Travel):

If you’re really looking to save – and maybe even help stimulate that slumping economy we were just talking about – stick to the U.S. for all your travel desires. Here are those top three spots:

Austin, Texas. This city is chalk full of free and affordable events this year, such as the Austin City Music Festival (Oct. 2-4). Austin is also known for its good weather, pop culture, diversified private and public sectors and art.

Washington D.C. Not even considering the freshly minted visitor sector, or the recently re-opened National Museum of American History, let’s not forget this place also offers free admission to national monuments and the world class museums of the Smithsonian.

Hawaii. Due to a major visitor slump last year, tour operators are now offering aggressively discounted room and car rental packages. We all know the rest of the reasons to visit…volcanoes, black sand beaches, crystal clear water, dolphin adventures, amazing views, constant sunshine and 80-degree weather…it’s Hawaii for God’s sake.

Now for outside the U.S.:

Budapest, Hungary. The U.S. dollar has recently surged here, gaining 30 percent against the declining local currency. Check out the country’s wonderful art noveau architecture, the famous Great Market Hall and miles of caves under the Castle District.

Reykjavik, Iceland. Another country with a collapsing currency will save American tourists 48 percent on virtually everything, not to mention airfares are cheap, cheap, cheap! Party it up at some of the most popular clubs on the planet, look for puffins and visit world-renowned museums and zoos.

Mexico. The exchange rate on the U.S. dollar to the Mexican peso hasn’t been this good in more than a decade, seeing mega price drops in even the most high profile destinations there like Cancun, Mexico City and Oaxaca. Take in the colorful Mexican culture and the world famous beaches.

Vancouver, B.C. U.S. to Canadian exchange rates have finally rebounded to 2005 levels and fares to Vancouver are at all-time lows. Check out some of the “cool” new venues like the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is now topped with a six-acre rooftop garden of 400,000 native plants and wild grasses that are partly irrigated by a sophisticated rainwater collection system.

Berlin. It’s the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Throw in some of the best hotel deals on the planet and what else do you need?

Cambodia, AKA The Golden Kingdom. One of the best backpackers’ secrets of the world. Explore the sprawling Angkor complex and its magnificent Hindu and Buddhist temples.