College as we know it, is a time to grow. These 4 years of school are all about finding out what we want to do in our adult lives and embracing our independence. Having the chance to go to college is a privilege. So many people would dream of the opportunity to attend a university and earn a degree, yet many of these people need to work. They need to save up money so that maybe one day they may have the opportunity to do great things with their lives.

Many people don’t have the privilege of going to college realistically because of the cost. They realize that by going to college they could wind up having thousands of dollars in student debt that they will end up paying off for the rest of their lives, and they simply don’t want that. Instead, many people have no choice but to work for money. Before I came to college, I was working a steady part-time job, making $100-$200 every 2 weeks. I could afford to go shopping and out to lunch with my friends because I knew that once my money ran out, I still had my steady job to replenish my money. Upon coming to college, I had to quit my job because I knew I would be a full-time student and I would no longer have time to work. I came to college with a large amount of money that I planned would get me through the semester. However, I quickly spent it on miscellaneous items and was left broke, desperately seeking out alternative ways to make money. This entire experience made me realize why so many people choose to work a job out of high school, rather than working towards a degree. These people are no less driven than we are, they are just giving themselves the opportunity to make money so that they too, can make something of themselves. Maybe they choose to work now to save up to go to school, or to travel the world. Whatever the reason, they are well intentioned.

Many of us, however, came to college. Our parents have been saving up since we were young to send us to a high-ranked university so that we may earn an education, and get a degree that will eventually land us in the workforce when we graduate. Little do we know, that this privilege we’ve been given of being able to study, has left us in a state of poverty. We came to college having to quit our jobs back home, and give up our chance to work because we are now full-time students. I personally no longer have that comfort of the fact that I can replenish my money when it runs out. The safety net of my job is no longer there, and at the age of 18, I don’t exactly have room to beg my parents for money. So what do we do? Drop out of school and start working a full-time job? Why should we do that when we’ve been given the privilege to study and make something of ourselves? We made the choice to come to college, knowing that we wouldn’t be bringing in a daily paycheck. Going to college isn’t the wrong choice. You’re studying and focusing on school so that one day you will get a steady paying job. Granted, for the time being, all you may have are small side jobs or no job at all, because school is your job. Going to college has become your job, and trust me, it is a full-time job. So for those of you who have chosen work over going to college, you are not wrong. You have already realized that the privilege to study means self-imposed poverty.