A recent study by Robertson College reveals that Ontario students hold the record for the highest amount of student loan debt in the country. The average Canadian student graduates with approximately $28,000 in debt, contributing to a national student loan total exceeding $23.5 billion. The report also indicates that individuals aged 20 to 24 have the largest share of this debt.
“I could’ve easily gotten my current job without going into so much debt,” says Hazel Ghaznavi, a 26-year-old graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s commerce program “If I had known what I know now, I would’ve thought twice about my program.”
Balancing work and school was difficult. “I struggled with a lot, both mentally and financially, juggling 25 hours a week at my job while taking full course load” she says. “I couldn’t fully focus on my studies, it’s hard to be a student full-time mentally working that many hours.”
She’s not facing these challenges alone. According to a report by Employment and Social Development Canada, 55% of student loan borrowers worked during their studies, and over half of them said their jobs negatively affected their academic performance, mentioning stress, fatigue, and less time to study as key challenges.
The pressure to stay financially afloat often dominates the student’s experience “I was mentally absent from class a lot,” says Hazel. “If I had to be at work by a certain time and the lecture was still going, I just couldn’t focus.”
“Students are burning out every semester,” says Melovia Arah, a social worker at a Local Sudbury Centre for Youth and Young Adults. “When a student is choosing between finishing an assignment or working a shift to afford next month’s rent, that’s not a fair choice. It often reduces the quality of the education they get”
Hazel, who immigrated to Canada with her family in 2011, says she received no guidance from school advisors when selecting her program. “I just assumed that a degree would lead to a stable job in my field of study, but that wasn’t the case”
Many graduates end up in roles unrelated to their field of study. Statistics Canada reports that young women with degrees commonly work as administrative assistants (4.3%) or in marketing and PR (4.2%), while men often become retail salespersons (4.0%) or customer service reps (2.1%)
Hazel believes schools should take more responsibility for preparing students for the economic realities of life after graduation. “They should be honest about which programs lead to jobs and which ones don’t. They need to make more support easily accessible while students are in school – shorter wait times and more advisors.”
She also thinks these conversations should start before classes even begin. “Colleges should make practical expectations part of orientation or during the application process and student advisors should break down each program. It would’ve helped me make better choices.”
Melovia agrees. “Program advising needs to start much earlier. Realizing after graduation that your field won’t lead to the job you wanted makes you question all the time and effort invested.”
Despite the setbacks, Hazel made the most of the opportunities available to her. She now has a better view of her direction. “I’m proud of myself for getting through it,” she says.
But Hazel’s story echoed by many Ontario students, according to recent reports – raises a pressing question: Is higher education still a guaranteed path to opportunity, or are students simply paying for an experience that leads nowhere?
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