Education Is The Primary Cause Of The Wealth Gap

Improved Essays
We are divided. As much as we strive to become one, there are puzzle pieces that will always come together to remind us that we are not. The gap between the upper-income brackets and the middle-income brackets are as far apart as ever. The Pew Research report shows us, “In 2013, the median wealth of the nation’s upper-income families ($639,400) was nearly seven times the median wealth of middle-income families ($96,500), the widest wealth gap seen in 30 years when the Federal Reserve began collecting these data.” (2 of 4). It greatly affects the people. Instead of living each and every day to its fullest, days spent working tiresome hours just to make ends meet. Then, in some cases, not even meeting those needs. People are struggling and it …show more content…
To do so, we must look into what the major causes of the gap really are. I could see how education might rise to the top of that list, putting a lot of attendees into debt before they even start working. However, I do not believe education is the primary cause of the growing gap between those living in a middle-income bracket and those living in an upper-income bracket because it is possible to achieve high paying jobs without an education and resources are available to help cut those costs.
First, education is not the primary cause of the growing gap between those living in a middle-income bracket and those living in an upper-income bracket because it is possible to achieve high paying jobs without an education. I will agree that a college degree is important, but it isn’t always necessary. It may play a factor in the gap widening but is not the primary reason. Just because you do not have a college degree, does not mean you do not work hard. It does not mean you need to be exiled away to the lower income brackets. It is true that you can work hard and still come out ahead. My co-worker shared a story with me about her best friend, Nancy. Nancy started off a waitress. I would say she was in the middle
…show more content…
For some people, college is where they need to be. Their skill set is not enough to create top dollar without furthering their education. This certainly doesn’t mean they have to go into huge amounts of debt and be forced to live in the bottom-income brackets. Programs are designed to help people with just that. Making college affordable. I work full time and take a full course load at college. While it is not easy, it is the effort needed to put in to succeed. By minimizing my loan debt, I can maximize my post-college earnings. Grants and scholarships are available and underused. Even myself could take not from this and apply to get more financial help. The truth is it is expensive. I will agree on that. People do go into a lot of debt from attending college. It is a must to control spending and to work while going to school. By getting an education you can crawl out of the lower-income brackets and make your way to the

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