Everyone has heard the “when I was a kid…” stories from their parents, whether the stories were about how they walked to school uphill in the snow and rain, had such difficult chores to do every day, or how they had to work for everything they owned. Their view is that too many things are being handed to today’s children without any accountability for these luxuries. Things like cars, expensive cell phones, TVs, computers, and college education are too often expected by teens in society today. Well, what if all college students had to work for their education? Would it help teach young adults about responsibility and build character? By giving students something to work towards, immense value is added to higher education, which, in turn adds higher intelligence in every career field.

Checks for thousands of dollars are being overlooked every year. A student not showing up for class because it is “too early” is way too common. If students were working full-time to pay for an 8 a.m. class, would that class still be “too early”? Some would still answer yes, until they were in the opposite position. Once someone sits down and does the math, a typical class could cost about $50 on the low end or could potentially be upwards of $300 a class. In order to afford one class, a student working minimum wage would have to work 38 hours. So, in other words, a student would have to work a full-time job to afford one 55-minute class (there are usually three 55-minute classes a week). Although this is a difficult feat, if college costs less to begin with and students could pay off their tuition each year, then more students would be able to get their degree and would come out of college with a job. Is this not the goal for the future generations? The question is, can schools lower tuition enough so that all students are able to pay for their tuition without having to take out any loans?

If things were reviewed from the other side of the spectrum, some would argue that there is not a real benefit to making students pay for their tuition, so, therefore, by lowering the cost, colleges would actually suffer as a result. Like many big organizations, costs are high. There are professors that have to get paid, electricity/water/cable and internet and so much more. By cutting tuition, this would majorly affect the colleges’ expenses. They would not be able to afford new computers, or fix that broken toilet on the third floor or even pay that awesome professor that just gave you an A+. So if expenses were cut, schools would slowly become run-down. If that is the case, do the American people value giving all students a college education that they can work to pay for or do the people value having manicured universities and letting some students not attend because they can’t afford it?

Nowadays, higher education has become an issue. With costs climbing every year, students and their families are finding it harder and harder to afford college. Is it okay that students stop going to college and instead find jobs in the trade? Or does change need to occur so that all people can have a shot at being successful in their chosen field of study? These are important questions that the American people have to answer soon because the future generations are suffering and need guidance on how to survive out there in the real world.