Economic Stress Among Young People

Why are they under so much economic stress? One reason many young people feel like things are out of reach is that too few of them seem to be working hard. In fact, they hardly work at all.

This situation presents a potential win-win for everyone involved. Colleges need to lower their exorbitant tuition fees. Meanwhile, students could learn real-life skills while managing their education. This might even help alleviate the enormous amount of student loan debt that often leads to defaults.

The current college student loan program should be replaced with a student work program instead. I have long advocated for a model like that of Ozarks College, where students work 20 hours a week in jobs that help pay for their tuition. From my visits to numerous prestigious universities, I’ve encountered some incredibly impressive students. The reality is that children tend to value their education more when they contribute financially. As the saying goes, things that come too easily are often taken for granted.

Work is tough. It keeps the lights on and is, frankly, a virtue. When kids learn this lesson early in life, it benefits them and society as a whole. The only asset college students possess is their time, evident from how they often engage in various social activities on campus. Looking ahead 50 to 100 years, if these young people are working, they might find themselves too busy to protest about the Earth’s climate on the streets.