Hello everyone. It has been requested that I continue my blogging. I present “Everyday Observations” as a new vehicle for my thoughts. Well…what’s bugging me today? It is the lack of opportunities in today’s economy for young people. The poor economy has not only hindered the growth of our nation, but the growth of our nation’s young people.
When I was 19 or 20 years old, it was easy to get a job. College did not cost the grand national mint, so you could earn your way through school. Now college is so expensive that a job alone will not pay for it. My daughter worked all summer slinging ice cream at an out of state amusement park and came back to have her hard earned money only stretch through one semester of books. However, my daughter is one of the lucky ones because both of her parents are gainfully employed and can give her money for gas and comfortably pay her full time tuition at the local community college. She is pretty much free of student loan debt, but that will change next year when she enters a university.
My question is what is going to happen to middle income college students who have parents that make too much to get financial aid, but not enough to go to school? When my husband attended this same community college twenty years ago, he paid twenty dollars a credit hour. Now the tuition at this same school is $100.00 plus a credit hour. The University that cost me $4000.00 a year to attend in 1984 now will cost a student $16, 000.00 for one year’s expenses. The increase in college tuition far exceeds both the rate of inflation and cost of living increases. The tuition rates have far outpaced the pay of the minimum wage jobs our children can get.
What are our young people doing? Many are putting college plans on hold. This will create a drain brain for our country. We will have to import workers from countries where education is cheaper to fill positions that require an education. Many young people will also graduate in debt because student loans are the only aid available to them. This will cause long term implications to the general economy of the United States that will interfere with economic growth and recovery. Because young people are putting college on hold or owe too much debt, marriages and starting families will also be put on hold. This will put a damper on home purchases. Who really needs a home with no spouse or family to put in it?
The cost of a higher education should not put our young people or their parents in debt. Education and a good economy are synonymous. We must find a way to educate our young adults. Making higher education more affordable with less debt will make sure that the United States gets the educated work force it needs to remain strong.
When I was 19 or 20 years old, it was easy to get a job. College did not cost the grand national mint, so you could earn your way through school. Now college is so expensive that a job alone will not pay for it. My daughter worked all summer slinging ice cream at an out of state amusement park and came back to have her hard earned money only stretch through one semester of books. However, my daughter is one of the lucky ones because both of her parents are gainfully employed and can give her money for gas and comfortably pay her full time tuition at the local community college. She is pretty much free of student loan debt, but that will change next year when she enters a university.
My question is what is going to happen to middle income college students who have parents that make too much to get financial aid, but not enough to go to school? When my husband attended this same community college twenty years ago, he paid twenty dollars a credit hour. Now the tuition at this same school is $100.00 plus a credit hour. The University that cost me $4000.00 a year to attend in 1984 now will cost a student $16, 000.00 for one year’s expenses. The increase in college tuition far exceeds both the rate of inflation and cost of living increases. The tuition rates have far outpaced the pay of the minimum wage jobs our children can get.
What are our young people doing? Many are putting college plans on hold. This will create a drain brain for our country. We will have to import workers from countries where education is cheaper to fill positions that require an education. Many young people will also graduate in debt because student loans are the only aid available to them. This will cause long term implications to the general economy of the United States that will interfere with economic growth and recovery. Because young people are putting college on hold or owe too much debt, marriages and starting families will also be put on hold. This will put a damper on home purchases. Who really needs a home with no spouse or family to put in it?
The cost of a higher education should not put our young people or their parents in debt. Education and a good economy are synonymous. We must find a way to educate our young adults. Making higher education more affordable with less debt will make sure that the United States gets the educated work force it needs to remain strong.
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