Time is Money…Making the Most of Both

With the understanding that the rich are getting richer, and the poor are barely getting by, there is another class of people, the “middle-class”, that is shrinking proportionally in America.

According to CBS correspondent Rita Braver, “The idea of a thriving middle-class has always been at the heart of the American dream. The concept really took off in the wake of World War II, when the GI Bill started helping everyday Americans pay for college or vocational education and take out loans to buy homes.”

But today those same ideals and principals that were once put into practice, which allowed the American economy to thrive, are being threatened like never before. Middle-class Americans are facing the challenges of making ends meet without being sucked under by over-burdening debt. The rising tuition rates of colleges and universities are just another part of the overwhelming struggle many in middle-class America are facing.

Jacob Hacker, a professor of political science at Yale University, told CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Rita Braver, “It seems as if health care, retirement security, being able to pay for kids’ college, being able to hold on to and afford a home are real sources of anxiety for middle-class Americans today.”

And he says it’s not because the middle-class American isn’t working harder. “I think the symbol is people who are not rich, who have to work hard, usually both parents are working, he said. “They probably have children, that’s sort of the image that we have. It’s a hard- working middle-class family with kids, making $60,000 to $80,000 a year and feeling really strained economically.”

So the idea that it is the poor college student who is struggling to get by is only a part of the problem. The one’s who administrate, teach, coach, cook and maintain the institutions of higher learning are also finding it difficult to live and work in a society where education is the door of opportunity, but money is the key to obtaining it.

Being a non-traditional student who has worked since the age of 15, I’ve seen the growing trend to have more over shadowing the values of what the middle-class population wants for their children. For many middle-class homes, the opportunity to go to college without accumulating any debt is impossible. Even those parents who begin college funds before or shortly after the birth of their first child, still find it difficult to afford college tuition over the four or six year period.

A CBS News poll conducted for Sunday Morning this past week finds that almost 60 percent of Americans think that life for the middle-class has gotten worse in the past ten years. Almost half of those who identified themselves as middle-class are concerned about having enough money to pay for major expenses like health care, tuition, buying a home and retirement. According to the poll, only 19 percent of middle-class Americans feel they are getting ahead in life.

The report goes on to say that a college degree is now seen as an important ticket for entering the middle class and average tuitions are increasing about 8 percent a year.

So what is a struggling college student to do when there doesn’t seem to be any indication that tuition rates will stop rising? I can think of three possible alternatives, 1) Investigate your options. Find schools that offer the course credits needed for your field of study that are the least expensive. 2) Maintain good grades and check into scholarship opportunities within your field of study. 3) If the realities of your financial situation won’t allow you to do one or two—take time off from school and work a job that will help pay for your college and go to night and weekend classes. There are many colleges and universities that now offer degrees for anyone wanting to complete their education at their own pace.

Bottom line...using time wisely to find a solution to any problem is a proactive way to keep from becoming a statistic on the negative side of the scales. Do I feel that higher tuitions are fair? Yes, because I feel that those who contribute to my education deserve to be given the same quality of life I want for myself. A person is worthy of his/her hire. That individual has dedicated his/herself to the betterment of my education and future endeavors. They also have to eat and take care of their families. A true life lesson …Nothing in life is free; somebody has to pay the bills.