High cost of college demands alternatives

As I continue to hold conversations with Pennsylvanians across the 7th district, I’m hearing many stories about students who are struggling to afford a college education and of unemployed workers looking to find meaningful careers. On top of this, I’m hearing from parents and grandparents who are worried about the crushing debt their children and grandchildren are suffering under.

In my youth, I attended La Salle University part-time to earn my bachelor’s degree while working full-time in a variety of jobs. These jobs included working as a police dispatcher, clerk, jailer for two years and then working in computer stores for three years, implementing financial and accounting systems for small and mid-size local businesses. The shifts I worked were tough, often midnight to 8 a.m., and from work I’d go directly to class. Doing this allowed me a path toward the careers I’ve had in Information Technology (IT) and the health care industry.

Unfortunately, today it’s not financially feasible for students to pay for a college degree by doing what I did. The high costs of college in this country have resulted in millions of Americans taking out burdensome, unsustainable loans and there needs to be some relief that doesn’t burden taxpayers.

To accomplish this, we must continue

the current programs that provide indebted professionals a way out of their federal student loan debt burden, by working full-time in public service. These are common sense, economically sound policies, and they will for far in helping graduates prepare for a more financially sound future.

That being said, a college education isn’t necessarily for everyone or the only path to economic security. When my wife and I installed solar panels on our home, I was able to speak with the two young men working on the project about their job, and what they told me was greatly encouraging. Both men, right out of high school, were undergoing an eight-year apprenticeship and making twice minimum wage as their starting salary with benefits included and room for professional growth. Their futures are bright, and we need to ensure that everyone in the 7th district can have access to these opportunities.