The Class System: A Look into the Uneven Attempt of College

America's education system is great. With government interventions like Federal Aide (FAFSA) any student regardless if they are rich or poor has a chance to go to college. For example, I am able to get my college education completely paid for off of scholarships and federal Pell Grants due to my lower income bracket I fall in. So I work full time paying my rent, transportation, and food all from my job salary without having to worry about school loans and expensive book prices.

But with this opportunity presented to everyone, it makes a bachelors degree less competitive in the job market. Ten years ago if you had your BA you competed with other peers with bachelors as well. Now these same degrees compete for the equivalent job position with Masters Degrees. When prospective employers have two like candidates for a position it is a no-brainer to choose the person with the higher education.

Getting a Masters Degree sets you on a grueling time schedule that makes it hard to have a full time job on the side. Some Universities don't recommend having a job while attending a Masters program. It makes it harder finding a good paying part-time job that will work around a Masters School schedule. So this leaves the gap between classes stagnate as the rich get the top jobs, middle-class maintains median, and the poor stay bottom dwellers. With Bachelors Degrees competing for the same careers as Master Degree holders, it makes the value of an undergraduate education less competitive.

Furthermore, staying competitive means that you need a solid resume built with work experience of internships in your probable field. Businesses and companies love internships because they get quality work out of students without having to pay out much money, or most the time students work for free. Internships can last the whole summer or even some last annually. The benefit of having a good internship is that after your confinement you usually get a job offer with the company. But how does a student work for free when they have living expenses to pay for? This makes internships more appealing to students who come from more privileged families who can afford to take three months off without pay leaving the working man less competitive in the job market.

It's oh so often when you hear about unused degrees with people unable to find a career they love and are able to make a living with. But what about the middle-class college goers who have to pay for their tuition with loans because they don't make the cut off for Federal Aide? This group is in worse trouble because now they have a BA degree they struggle to compete with and ridiculous school loans to pay off. Our economy hurts when students graduate college and try to take part in our economy and buy houses but get turned away because they have too much debt. The 80 grand of debt accrued from pursuing a college degree now stifles them from owning their own home. As you can see, this cycle repeats itself all in the while holding the less fortunate into submission.

So what are the solutions to this plaguing problem? After doing some research, there are some companies that pay for students to obtain a Masters Degree while working for their company. Finding businesses like this would be the key to fixing this mess. Keep in mind that some fields (maybe the one you are interested in) don't have programs like this which could force you working for the 'man' instead of following your dreams. Some internships are out there that pay interns for their work. Again, if you can pull that, stick with it as it will pay off. Living a life of struggle creates a thicker skin and builds stronger morals and ethics creating a value to life, money, and happiness. Hopefully employers notice that as it will get you somewhere in life. To struggle is to effort as living is to life. My mom always told me, "Life's not fair, it's uneven." As corny as that sounds, it's the truth at its deepest roots. They say working hard will pay off; I'm just waiting on my settlement check.