College tuition. It's a big problem.
It seems as though half the people believe that college tuition is fine the way it is -- cue the older generation saying things along the lines of "I paid for my college tuition all by myself, and so can you." And next, the people who say, "Well if you work hard and study and get a good job, you'll be fine."
But the reality is -- a lot of people will not be that lucky.
Just because you are fine, doesn't mean it's an issue.
Before you start rolling your eyes, please observe the facts. I hold firmly onto the belief that the people who do not have in issue with tuition have done no research on what the cost of college is America - or got their college funded by the 'rents. (No shame in that, but it certainly doesn't apply to all). Why? Because the information is real, it's publicly available, and it needs to be talked about.
In 1995, the average cost of college tuition at a private school was around $13,000 per year. Today, that's up to $38,000 per year. At the time, the minimum wage was $4, when adjusted for inflation, that's about $6.50 today. Today's national minimum wage is $7.25. Which means that while college tuition has gotten 12 times more expensive in one generation, minimum wage hasn't even doubled.
In addition, the yearly annual salary has for college graduates with a bachelors, between the ages of 25-34, has decreased by more than 14 percent since 2000 when adjusted for inflation.
That's right. Average salary has decreased for people with bachelors degrees.
The average amount of college debt upon graduating is around $29,000. That's more than 65 percent of the average graduate's first year salary. While in 1993, the average student graduated with less than $10,000 in debt -- but here's the catch -- less than half of students back then even had debt. Today, more than 70 percent of students graduate with debt.
Do you know what that means?
That means that for the average student six times longer than the older generation to pay off their student loans.
In 1979, the average student could pay off their yearly student loans with 10 weeks at a part time, minimum wage job. Today, the average student would have to work full time for 35 weeks to pay for a year's work of college -- and that's without including the cost of living.
So this raises the question -- why are there people out there that are not infuriated by this?
Even those that were born with a college fund already in the bank will one day have to face this reality -- those who want children will have to face this reality: someone in your life will be affected by student debt, in a very bad way. Even if it's not you.
What can we do to help the issue?
We can elect people into office, and become people in office, that make college tuition a major issue.
Not just our president -- our state representatives, our senators, even our city mayors. The people who run our country are important, right down to your small town board.
College is funded by the state. While states used to pay for up to 80% of higher education, that number is down to about 20 percent.
What we need are people in office willing to raise that number, willing to increase minimum wage, and willing to facilitate higher education in America.
Because America will never progress if some of our potentially smartest minds are never educated because of these numbers.
Whether you attended college in 1970, whether you are attending college now debt free, and whether you are you are swimming in $100,000 worth of student debt -- this issue affects you, it will affect your children, and it will affect your friends. It affects everyone in this country with the desire to learn.
Even if it doesn't affect you.
It's time to talk about student debt.
It's time to fix student debt.
It's time to make education in America affordable, and not a luxury.
