Strapped - Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead

Zusatztext “It’s no time to be 21! and we have Tamara Draut to thank for describing to us! in precise details! the forces arrayed against young people — and what can be done to alleviate the situation.” —Thomas Frank! author of What’s the Matter with Kansas “A convincing! impressively researched call-to-arms. . . . Fast-paced! informative prose! amply supported by statistics.” — San Francisco Chronicle “Persuasive. . . .The 30-something author knows whereof she writes.” — The Washington Post “Draut’s presentation will convince many and may be useful even to those who disagree with her. . . . Parents and young adults definitely need to read this book and have conversations afterward.” — USA Today Informationen zum Autor Tamara Draut Klappentext Drowning in student loans? Can't afford to get married, buy a home, have children? Up to your ears in credit card debt? At last, a book for the under-35 generation that explains why it's not their fault, and what can be done about it. Strapped offers a groundbreaking look at the new obstacle course facing young adults. Getting ahead, argues commentator and policy maven Tamara Draut, is getting harder. A college degree is the new high school diploma-and costs a fortune to obtain. Good jobs are scarcer thanks to stagnant wages and disappearing benefits. And, the cost of everything-starter homes, health coverage, child care-keeps going up. Witty and wise, Strapped brims with ideas for fashioning a new kind of America in which every young person can go to college, buy a home, and start a family. The future starts here. Leseprobe CHAPTER ONE Higher and Higher Education Renee, a white 26-year-old, grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her parents wanted nothing more than to send her to a four-year college when she graduated from high school, but unfortunately, it was priced out of reach. Instead, Renee began taking business classes at a nearby community college that specialized in business training and got a full-time job. She worked during the day and took classes at night. Some time later, Renee accepted a new job at a nearby printing company. A nice increase in pay was the upside; working the midnight shift was the considerable downside. Suddenly, balancing school and work became a lot more difficult. Renee would work until 8 A.M., sleep in the afternoon, and go to school at night. Eventually, racked with exhaustion, financially stressed out, and supporting an unemployed boyfriend, Renee dropped out of school. Money played a big role in her decision. She had already taken out student loans and burned through a small inheritance from her grandfather. Already $4,500 in the hole with student loans, Renee didn't want to sink any further into debt. It is now four years later and Renee is still making loan payments. She anticipates it will take at least eight or nine more years to clear the debt. Today, Renee works as a legal secretary, earning $28,000 a year, which must support both her and her son. In the hopes of boosting her earnings potential, Renee has re-enrolled in school, taking correspondence classes with the aim of becoming a paralegal. When I asked Renee if she wished she could have done anything differently up to this point in her life, she didn't hesitate with her answer: "Number one, I would have finished college. I would have actually gone to a four-year college and had a real degree." Renee is not alone. This is the story of downscaled dreams. Soaring tuition costs combined with cuts to financial aid have forced students into massive debt and priced many smart kids out of four-year colleges altogether. Every year, 410,000 college-qualified students--just like Renee--from households with incomes less than $50,000 enroll in community college instead of going to a four-year college.(1) Another 168,000 college-qualified students don't enr...

Product details

• Authors: Tamara Draut
• Publisher: Anchor Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.01.2007
• EAN: 9781400079971
• ISBN: 978-1-4000-7997-1
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 203 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Miscellaneous