Paying for a Future

Ashley’s government blog post regarding student loan debt is a topic close to my own heart. I also must pay for 100% of my college education with student loans. It is a bitter-sweet opportunity being able to attend school under the umbrella of debt. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend school, but having to go into so much debt to do it makes me feel sick. I am, as I am sure so many others are, a single working adult that makes just a few dollars an hour more than minimum wage. Almost every penny I make goes towards living expenses such as rent, utilities, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. So, in order to better my situation in life, I must attend school so that I can then hopefully one day get a better paying job. In order to accomplish this I must take out thousands of dollars in loans. All of these loans are constantly occurring interest, and to put the final proverbial nail in the coffin, if I don’t score an awesome paying job out of school, well, let us just say that my financial situation will then be a serious shit-storm.

So yes, I could not agree with you more.  President Obama needs to seriously reconsider his decision on vetoing that student loan interest rate bill, and if he carries through with vetoing it, his assistance in helping to make higher education more affordable would be helpful. I understand that higher education sets people apart, and not everyone can get a degree, but the determining factor on whether or not a person deserves a higher level of education and the obtaining of a degree should not have anything to do with money, but with intelligence.