Isn’t it time that we’re done with college and moving on with our careers? Why are so many of us still here, making little or no progress? Why do we have to pay to be educated? For some of us, we are here to transfer, for others just an associate’s degree is our goal, yet the day-to-day burdens of our working and personal lives make it hard to finish and move on.

There are the few lucky ones who transfer in two years without any problems, however, the not so lucky ones, myself included, we are still here. The actual process of transferring that we once thought would take two years, has taken many of us years to complete. And, why is that, what is holding us back from getting out of here?

Could it actually be that some of us have jobs, families of our own to watch and feed, significant others to care for, and then to top it off the school work needed to graduate or transfer from college?

Most students not only juggle schoolwork but also work jobs and some even have families of their own, making it difficult to take a full load of classes a semester.

Considering all of the responsibilities, many students can take only two or three classes a semester.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) states that only 27 percent of students who are enrolled at community colleges full-time also work full-time. Roughly 50 percent of students are either full-time students and part-time workers or part-time students and full-time workers. The good old days of mommy and daddy paying for everything while their kids were away at school are starting to fizzle. Students are now are making their educational hopes and dreams come true themselves.

Countries like Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland and Finland all provide higher education for no cost, just as long as the student is a full-time student. However, the land of opportunity and might I add the land of the free, does not provide free education higher then the 12 grade.

It is becoming more and more difficult to finish school these days. With the way the economy is going, working is more important then school. Gas prices are at an all time high. If you can’t get to work to make money, how are you going to pay for your education? Financial Aid does help, but what about the people that financial aid doesn’t help?

Education should not be a luxury; it should be a human right.