Perhaps it’s a good thing there are a few more jobs available for graduating college students. Many will need a good one to pay off their student loans. According to a study by Fidelity, the average college student carries $35,200 worth of college debt by the time he or she graduates—a record. About 70 percent of students carry some sort of debt by graduation. While educational costs have outpaced inflation for several years, many students are surprised by how much debt they’ve accumulated in their four-plus years of college, and that has some investment experts worried. The number of graduates reporting surprise by the level of student debt they have accumulated is a big concern and shows that there is a considerable need for families to better understand the total cost of college,” says Fidelity’s Keith Bernhardt. “It is critically important for families to have thorough discussions related to college planning a lot earlier than they do now and to understand their options and create a college savings and funding plan to help avoid significant post-graduation debt.” (ABC News)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.