The Cost of School
As the cost of post secondary education continues to rise, people are taking more drastic measures to overcome the increasing cost. Some even going as far as to move halfway across the country to pay the fees.
Jake Milican is a second year student at the University of New Brunswick who decided to take a job opportunity in Alberta. The job was cleaning rooms at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, the pay was good, plus his room and board was paid for. The one catch was that he would have to stay until the 15th of September, two weeks past the starting of school.
“I went to Alberta this summer because they pay me a lot of money.” Jake stated, “so much more money that even if I didn’t have to pay rent here or for groceries here, I’d still make more money out there.”
The hypocrisy of the situation was obvious. Jake was forced to choose between the fear of not being able to afford his education, and putting himself at a disadvantage within his educational pursuits.
“I missed the first two weeks of classes because I was on a contract that ended on September 15th …I also had to miss school, to go to school.”
Jake believes he has the smarts to make up for the lost time, he describes his courses as “mad easy” and excelled in his studies last year. The fear of being behind is ever-present all the same.
“I can already tell that everybody is already situated and ready for the class and I don’t even know what the classes are even about, and I look at the schedule and I have a quiz next week.”
Jake has found several ways to keep up with his studies, from setting his phone away from his desk to avoid distraction, to making a comprehensive list of all the work he has to do for the semester, he clearly has the ability to excel in spite of his setback.
Despite the turbulence of moving midway into September and starting with a handicap, Jake knows he can get back to where he should be, working hard in and out of days, and not just passing his classes but shine in them.