AFFORDABLE COLLEGE

 Today is International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate. Did you know women make up over fifty percent plus of the work force in United States. This is major progress in my opinion, but maybe only impressive within the United States. There are so many job opportunities that has happen for women. They have continually strived to thrive in an once male dominated world to survive. Now women worldwide together are becoming huge factor in the workforce. Even though there has been major progress among women all over the world there are still some interesting facts!

 Did you know that 37% of women do not use the internet. 259 million fewer women have access to the Internet than men, even though they account for nearly half the world’s population. If women cannot access the internet than they will have the challenge to keep up with the forever changing technology for the job force. Source: United Nations, International Women’s Day: Innovation and technology for gender equality

 Here in the United States, women are outpacing men in college graduation. Please see the chart below from the Pew Research Center.

 With women graduating more often now then men who attend college, will this help close the gender equality pay gap? It’s amazing to see women pursuing and choosing their passion, goals, careers, and dreams. We are now living in year 2023! We are living in a time now where women can choose to be whoever they want to be! This includes careers, professions, and the trade industry.

 I feel like the trade industry is one of the most overlooked places! I say this, because women here in the United States make up about 11% of the trade industry! With women pacing men out on earning degrees, why is there still such a low percentage of women working in trade industry? It’s no secret the trade industry is dominated by men, but guess what? They’re going to be room for a new trend, where the pay gap between men and women could possibly get closure to an end. With construction booming and more young people attending college than learning a trade there is now a major shortage of workers!

 How many workers? About 650,000 thousand with that many workers being needed women could filled those vacancies by simple getting into the trade industry. One interest fact is that there is only a 94.3 percent difference in the men to women pay equity gap in some construction fields.

 The Trade Industry in my opinion do not discriminate as much, because if a person can do the work and has the skill, they can own their own business or work for a company as an employee. If women are out pacing men in college graduation rates, then don’t stop there catch up with men in the trades.

 Let’s welcome in the year 2023 – what’s new? Many things are new, but students who are in debt still don’t know what to do and have no real clues as to how to move forward. Guess what, everyone? The moment we have all been waiting for will be debated through the supreme court very soon! “President Biden’s sweeping one-time student debt relief initiative would have cancelled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for most borrowers. However, the program has been blocked by federal courts. The Supreme Court has taken up the case.”

 This has been a rough journey for parents and college students. What will happen? Does anyone know? I know exactly what will happen after the court rules on this issue; some people will be angry and some happy. That’s the only that can happen really! Let’s not fool ourselves; our nation, America, is having a challenging time deciding if student loan forgiveness is right.

 Some people may feel that going to college is a choice and that a student should not be helped, because they should have understood the terms of the loan structure going into the agreement. There are some people who did not attend college, because they could not afford it, and went down another pathway. Will a plan be put into place after the supreme court ruling in February? What do you think? Please leave your thoughts in a comment on this blog.

 When it comes to student loan forgiveness, should a student wait for something that may or may not happen? Students may feel successful because they graduated and obtained their degrees, but when it’s time to pay back their loans, they are coming up with no jobs and no money. They may be feeling like college is not doing what is supposed to do. For example, a college education promises to be the gateway to entering their dream job and financial security. College has always had unlimited possibilities in theory, but with millions of Americans in debt, this failed promise is the reality for so many! In my opinion, students should now start looking for work that does not require a degree and jump into the trade industry for balanced income security!

 Student loan payments and interest have been postponed since 2020 – we are now in year 2023. In three years, a student has had time to find a job and generate some type of income to start repaying their loans back. “Since the start of the pandemic, the federal student loan system has been in a constant state of flux. Two presidents and Congress have put loan repayment on hold and stopped the accumulation of interest to help borrowers weather the economic fallout from COVID-19.”

 In addition to students trying to repay back their loans, what about their everyday costs of just normal living? My question is simple: are college graduates with degrees sinking in debt, while trade workers are swimming with their skillset? The answer is yes, as we have seen the results from just the pandemic. No one could have ever foreseen the world stopping cold hard, but now we are adjusting. We are now at three years plus of adjusting, and some jobs sectors are no longer existent and will never come back, but guess what? The Trade Industry work over the last three years most definitely maintained opportunities for essential jobs versus some college required jobs that were considered non-essential.

 Let’s take into account that three years has gone by and that’s more than enough time for students to make up their minds! A student with a degree who is struggling to earn money while trying to repay back their debt could take advantage of this great opportunity to learn a new skillset. Stop waiting for loan forgiveness and jump into a trade apprenticeship. For the many students who need to start earning an income so they can get paid, they can jump right into a trade. Most trade apprenticeship programs are cheaper and take less time than it does to complete a college degree.

 Students make a huge investment of time and resources in going to college, hoping to land their dream job and make a good salary also. Is this the reason students are willing to labor by studying for four years, sometimes without making any money during that time, but continuingly borrowing more money at colleges? This is what happens at another familiar place – casinos. A person goes in hoping for a win, but even when their money gets low, they continue to borrow more and continue to play more, still hoping that they will hit the jackpot. Has anyone noticed the pattern that many students start out in college with no money? In the end, students hoped for success like hitting a jackpot their dream job/salary after graduating, but some end up with more and more debt? This is very interesting; people don’t have money, so they go into debt to try to make more money.

 College will always have unlimited earning possibilities in theory, but with millions of Americans now in debt, unrealized potential is the reality for so many! Why has the trade industry been overlooked, and should teachers start promoting the trade industry again as much as they promote college? It’s no secret that the trade industry is job security! Students who are struggling to find work within their degree fields need to stop being afraid and jump right into the trade industry.

College Vs Trade

 Did you know careers in plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and other trades typically survive weak economies and recessions? Workers in these fields have more job security by performing essential services that the world always needs. Meanwhile, college programs may give degree-seekers flexible/applicable skills, but those jobs do not always perform as well during economic crises. How did the pandemic fare for those with degrees versus those who work in the trade industry?

 As you consider these things, know that help is available from a Reader’s Digest author named Charles Chadwick. Charles is unique – he has two college degrees, cut his college costs by 40%, and is now debt free! But guess what? He is successful because of a set of skills he learned for free from the trade industry. He has written two books that give people the best college and trade industry outlook. For more information, please visit our website www.chadwicksexperiences.com

 Black History has revolved around revisiting the journey of African Americans in the United States. We have overcome and raised our consciousness above and beyond the chains and pain of us once being slaves. African Americans have contributed greatly in building and developing America.

 In the field of architecture, many blacks had a tremendous impact throughout history. Have you ever heard of Robert Robinson Taylor or Julian Abele? Taylor was the first academically trained and credentialed black architect in America. He designed multiple buildings on the Tuskegee College campus and other academic buildings across the United States.

 Another piece of history took place at a college that is predominantly known today for its basketball program. The school is in North Carolina – Duke University, home of the Blue Devils. Who would have guessed that at one point in time it was an institution for whites only, yet, a black man, Julian Abele, ended up contributing to the design of the Duke West college campus. Indeed, at a time of racial tension and segregation, a black man was part of designing a higher learning institution. In 2016, Duke University renamed a campus quad in honor of Abele.

 Also, has anyone been to LAX Airport when traveling through the West Coast in California? This airport typically remains in a state of ongoing construction , but can you guess who designed terminal one? Have you ever heard of Norma Merrick Sklarek? She is noted as being the first black women pioneer in the field of architecture. She has contributed to so many other projects, including the US Embassy in Tokyo.

 Now here is a little bit of my own trade history. My father has been a plumber since 1978, and he passed on his knowledge of plumbing to me. Growing up, I never saw many women in the field of plumbing. Thankfully our world is ever-changing, so there is another person I would like to mention that made history in the same field of plumbing. Trend setter, game-changer, great businesswoman Adrienne Bennett goes down in plumbing history! She is America’s first female African American master plumber.

 “At the age of 30, while surrounded by men, Bennett became the first black female master plumber in the United States. Now, 30 years later, she is CEO of her own contracting company, Detroit-based Benkari LLC.”

 Do you ever wonder how many students would like to dethrone “Student Loans!” In order to dethrone someone or something a person or group must lead the charge. Meet a former college student who successfully dethrone his student loans by cutting his cost by 40%, paid off all of his balance with interest and learned a trade. Meet Charles he has two college degrees, but guess what? He is more successful with a set of skills he learned for free from the trade industry. Many young people attending college in America have accumulated a lifetime worth of debt and bills. Charles has a different message he wants to see more student get in the trade industry and start learning a lifetime worth of earning skills instead of graduating with a mountain of college bills.

 Whenever there are hard times, someone has to have a vision and a mission which is called a provision. A provision can be defined as; the fact or state of being prepared beforehand: a measure taken beforehand to deal with a need or contingency. Student Loans have and will continue to be a disaster, so therefore Charles has made it his mission to become the “The Pastor of the Student Loan Disaster.” In real life, Charles is not a pastor of a church, but he came up with the character of a pastor for the students who are struggling to make their payments and now they are butt hurt! With this made-up character, he uses a buck teeth prop to make students laugh. But behind the scenes Charles knows that many students are struggling to make their payments and it’s not funny, but more so sad.

 Charles came up with this idea one day while working his job hearing so many people complaining about student loans. On his lunch break he thought it would be funny to imitate a pastor and try to show students a way out the student loan disaster! Charles was born and raised in the south. He grew up in North Carolina, which is known for being a bible belt state. Charles was always forced to go to church even though he didn’t want to go when he was little. Now that Charles is older; he is not a religious person and nor does he claim any religion. He does not claim to be righteous, but he tries to be more conscience if anything else. Charles has one goal and that is to dethrone student loans!

 Who would have ever guessed that something Charles experienced when he was younger will now be use to bring awareness to one of the biggest issues in America called “Student Loans.” Over the years of attending so many church services Charles started to notice that pastors were really like coaches. A good coach will always try to lead and push their team to a win or victory. Just like a coach has players, a pastor has their congregation of members. Over the pandemic Charles heard so much negativity about student loans that he thought very long and hard about a way that he could bring more awareness to the next generation of students in America.

 Charles knows that student loan forgiveness will not take away everyone challenges with paying off their debt balances. He has high hope that students and parents will laugh at his videos, but more importantly listen to his sermons. His sermons address some interesting issues. We have always known that college is not for everybody. With the message, traditionally being pushed so hard to high school students to go to college year after year, Charles feels and knows that the trade industry has and will always also be a good career. He also, explains why it is important to learn finances first, so that later down the journey road of life a student won’t be financially hurt!

 The world has adopted a new persona, a more ruthless one. After the attack on George Floyd by the local cops. A rejuvenated sense of unity among African American people took center stage as they felt that white supremacy had been a genuine problem for far too long. For some black people not all who walks the streets, it’s a battle, even if it doesn’t involve gunshots. Unfortunately, it’s not just the streets. In workplaces, shops, court systems and even in the house of finances, you’d find that black citizens sometimes face exponentially more challenges.