One of the worst parts of growing up in the 21st century in America is the education system. For a society that puts so much weight and emphasis on getting an education to get ahead, we sure don't make it easy. We are constantly told that education is a necessity, yet it is priced as a luxury.
I love learning, but what I don't love is the fact that, more often than not, I have to choose between getting an education for another month, or groceries for the month. It seems there is always someone telling me that there are options, but what's the point if those options are: Get loans and spend the majority of my life paying off student debt, or being born rich?
What am I supposed to do if I wasn't born with the resources to afford a $50,000-per-year quality education? Oh that's right, I just need to have extraordinary skills that will earn me a scholarship. Oh wait, that requires money and resources that I also don't have. Oh that's okay, I'll just work a ton and save up some money for school, but minimum wage is only $9.25 in my state and I would have to work a 40-hour week along with school to make those payments? I can't do that, I would never be able to sleep! Okay, okay, maybe the government will be able to help me, by letting me borrow some money. After all, they are the ones that have pounded it into our brains that an education is important right? Okay, awesome, they're going to give me the money, but with interest; I suppose that's fair. Wait, interest is 7% percent? Loans for houses don't even have that much interest!
Okay, so overly dramatic personal narrative aside, the fact of the matter is college is becoming less and less affordable for students in the United States that aren't already wealthy. The average amount of debt that a student will graduate with in 2015 is $35,000. The average, although astronomical on its own, only takes into account student debt, not the cost of living outside of student loan payments. When society is telling us to get an education, but we receive no aid in doing so, it becomes clear that students are only seen as another financial exploit for corporations and banks.
Taking a look at the progress that other countries have made in making education affordable to their students, it puts me to shame that the United States, "the land of opportunity," can't even provide an affordable education to the youth of our country without thinking of monetary gain. Educating the youth of our country should be seen as an investment in our future to raise bright leaders, not another source of monetary profit for banks and government.
