I, along with other young people in this country, find it increasingly difficult to have an optimistic outlook on our future after high school.
For a long time, practically our whole lives, we have been taught that college is the next and only step. So why is there hesitation? Why are enrollment rates declining every year? Where are we to go from here?
The days of the blue-collar worker being the catalyst of the middle class are gone. The factories have fled overseas. The little domestic manufacturing industry that remains has been automated. To put it simply, America has evolved into a high mass consumption-oriented economy where the service sector dominates the job market.
But our policies, however, have not evolved. The recent labor union waves sweeping the country that are demanding better wages and benefits are evidence of this. The only way to make it into the upper echelons of economic well-being is through a college degree.
So, the path is clear. However, there is still one obstacle that continues to divert young people from taking that path in the first place: money.
The generations before us endured the crippling price tag that came with university education. They are still paying for it today. An eternal debt constantly hanging over their heads, demanding what is owed. According to EducationData.org, the average college graduate has a student loan debt of nearly 40 thousand dollars. Was it worth it? All that money just to work a $40 thousand a year job struggling to support a family of four. It is our generation that is now waking up to this catastrophe.
We have begun to realize that on that price tag reads a 1.73 trillion-dollar warning sticker, according to educationdata.org.
There is an obvious answer to this obstacle: universal community college. Although many see it as a second choice, community college should be considered as the entry point into university and the workforce as well.
Community college allows people to graduate with an associate degree with which you can either enter a 4-year college as a junior or enter the workforce with a key advantage in an increasingly competitive job market.
Deciding to take the route to a 4-year university would require a student to pay for only two years of college. This would result in massive savings for American families seeing as the average student spends roughly $25 thousand per year. A $50 thousand amount is a manageable cost when considering the average family’s college savings of $28 thousand and other benefits such as scholarships or grants.
The bottom line is that the availability of free community college would save young people thousands of dollars.
Another benefit of free community college is an advantage in the job market.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 42% of Americans aged 25 and up have an associate degree or higher. When it comes to entering a career, there is an undeniable demand for a higher education that can no longer be ignored. It has become essential if a person wants to compete in today’s economy.
The implementation of universal community college is the adaptation needed to bridge the gap between classes in America. When this option is available, young people like myself would be able to rebuild a class of career professionals once again.