Argumentative Essay: Two Years Of Free Community College

Money. That is what this world revolves around; to make it, you have to have money. With a college degree the average you can make per year is $51,206. However, with only a highschool degree, the average people will make is $27,915. On January 8, 2015, Barack Obama introduced the idea of two years of free community college. Since then, fifteen states have put a plan into motion that makes two years of community college and vocational school free of charge. These legislations have caused many arguments about whether or not every state should have these programs installed. Students should be guaranteed two years of free community/vocational college so citizens get a better education if they cannot afford it, to increase the population’s chances

This could benefit millions of students across America and could help full-time students save thousands of dollars. According to an Obamawhitehouse.archives.gov article dated January 9, 2015 “If all fifty states participate, an estimated nine million students could benefit. A full-time college student could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year.” (“The President Proposes to Make Community College Free for Responsible Students for Two Years” Obamawhitehouse.archives.gov) Many citizens aged 37-52 in America are still paying off tremendous student loans to the tune of 1.3 trillion dollars in the aggregate. To put it another way, this is even more than the total amount of auto and credit-card debt combined. Sara Goldrick-Rab, Ph.D. says “The average out of pocket cost facing community college students from low-income families ranges from $8,000-$11,000 per year… it represents the amount that students must borrow and earn in order to make college possible.” It is ridiculous that students who were raised in low-income families are forced to pay thousands of dollars just to get a higher education. If there were two years of free community college and vocational school that were guaranteed for citizens in America, then students could save a great deal of money. With this education citizens would have a better chance of getting a job that not only pays well, but is a job that they feel

Americans need less student loans and higher education due to a shift in the economy. Laid out in an article written by Georgetown.edu dated 2015, “In the United States, economic growth has allowed much of the population to move beyond meeting simple needs with simple products… Consequently, consumption patterns have shifted as well: from standerdized goods in the postwar era to custimized goods and high-quality services today. This shift has sharply increased the demand for more highly-skilled labor.” (“The Economy Goes to College: The Hidden Promise of Higher Education in the Post-Industrial Service Economy” Georgetown.edu) Hiring more employees helps the economy. If there are more employees, then there are more people who go out and buy things, which in turn helps the stores being shopped at hire more employees. This cyclen benefits not only millions of Americans, but can also be the key factor to start getting rid of the 20 trillion dollar debt that the United States is in. Now some argue that having two years of guaranteed free community and vocational college will only drive America further into debt. It wouldn’t. Since more entry level jobs are requiring some form of post-secondary education and more jobs mean more money in the economy, a free community college or vocational school will actually help improve the economy. If the American government