AFFORDABLE COLLEGE

 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.

 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.

Cheap College

 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.

 To make matters worse, PBS News Hour shared a statement from Assistant Professor of Education at Villanova University Jalil Mustaffa Bishop. He said, “Black borrowers borrow more student loans than any other group. They’re more likely to be targeted by for-profit institutions, which usually are more expensive and have some of the lowest graduation rates. And then on top of that, they enter a labor market that still has continuous wage gaps and patterns of labor market discrimination.”

 This is a culmination of what some African Americans have faced for years. Charles Chadwick, – author of College Checklist and Cultivated Circumstance – who is African-American, has something different to say. He attended college, even though his parents didn’t have enough money to give him a college education. Just like other citizens of the United States, he also had a chance to apply for a student loan. He eventually did procure a loan, but after earning his degrees, he has paid back his loans through sheer effort and hard work. He also learned and worked a trade to help pay off his loan. But the graceful Charles doesn’t think that it’s always racism that’s causing problems, rather it’s the interest rates and lack of understanding!

 The article shared by PBS News Hour is also an eye-opener, given what the world is going through. With the recession and aftermath of COVID-19 hanging on to us like a leech, people doing this are unacceptable. But Charles believes with proper data information/understanding, we can ensure better results. Students must know the interest rates and how they can be effective in finances right from the get-go before attending any college.

 Mind you, student loans can be sometime be looked at as investment, and it is not wise for anyone to be cheated out of a decent interest rate on a loan. Student loans can sometimes appear to be a good investment for a better career, but in the end, some students do not always win! In this case, what if African American students were presented some data to show interest rates among all ethnicities. Could they have made or claimed they were being taken advantage of early on or ask more questions to why the rate is higher? Also, students could have researched and explore more options with different loan providers etc. I can only imagine if this information could be presented to middle and high school students/parents how much better the future outcome could be for students?

 A group of African-American students gathered some data to show interest rates among different ethnicities. Borrowers of different races or ethnicities indeed have varying obstacles in their quest for advanced education. Unfortunately, it’s not just limited to the United States. One especially intriguing stat was that 70% of White and Caucasian students have more debt than 40% of Black students. Further, black students in the United States have higher interest rates, but not elsewhere. Perhaps, the reason for the difference is that some people have to try harder to make ends meet in comparison to other groups for various reasons culturally.

 Charles shares that before he graduated college, he would eventually have to pay off his loans, but he understood his interest rates first and later on was not financially hurt! A person must understand their finances if they wish to strive and thrive in this world. Even outside of a college environment a person should always strive and acquire some type of financial knowledge. This is one of many lessons that Charles wants to share with the current and upcoming college students especially African Americans and all other races.

 However, the statistics and data do give Charles’s approach meaning. Please see the chart below to see the student loan debt ratio among students in the year of 2022. The chart comes from an online article by Hanson, Melanie titled ““Student Loan Debt by Race.”

 Lack of financial awareness has cost students a lot over the years, and it has become oddly predictable. The statement, shared by Jalil Mustaffa Bishop from PBS Article, is merely a foreshadowing of what will happen if we don’t take care of the situation right now. Charles Chadwick has always been a true nontraditional educationalist. He wants to make a difference by introducing students to a new type of mindset! Please start planning and understanding finances to achieve some type of success. It’s essential to understand that acquiring a student loan is very easy, but paying it off can sometimes be harder than one can imagine. So, it’s time that we take the initial step and gain financial awareness.

 In today’s fast-paced world, it’s all about making the right decision at the right time. Students, please don’t wait to start getting some type of financial knowledge! Don’t be like the many that have already graduated and are now eating their slice of payments from the big student loan deficit cake! Always learn finances first, because a student can then limit how much they could be financially hurt! When Charles attended college, he was not stressed out or lost, because he knew his interest rates and how to cut his college costs it had nothing to do with his race!

 Charles wants the same thing for future students. Order your copy of his books today to get started on the do’s and don’ts on how to achieve this goal. He wrote two books with the best futuristic outlook. In reference to reducing college expenses please pick up “ College Checklist” or if you want to learn a trade or develop a mindset for better career advancement, please checkout “ Cultivated Circumstances.”