Got Issues

1. Highway 36 bridge, Lumberjack Days, Washington County Fair, Stillwater lift bridge, school closings, new schools, school additions, school referendums, moving 9^th graders to high school, moving 6^th graders to junior high, road construction, school zoning, taxes, business closures.

2. Tuition costs, book cost, student loans, class availability, completion percentage, job placement rate, State Capitol renovations, Police shooting, high taxes, political division, road work, traffic, cost of gas, environmental impact of pollution, health insurance costs.

3. Will I be able to retire at all? Will I be able to help my children through college? What will happen with health care over the next 8 years? Will we ever be able to curb the National Debt and bring spending back into line? What do we expect from our Police officers? How do we create impactful change in the political arena?  

4. I am taking math and English this semester as I work toward becoming a mechanical engineer. Ethics is a hot topic right now in the engineering community. An example of an engineering ethical dilemma would be showing too much preference to certain vendors which takes valve from an owner. This happens a lot in school districts. Another couple hot topics in the engineering community are refrigerant phase out dates and increasing demand for better performing buildings.

 

5. Raising children is tough enough as it is without having to think about how I am going to help them make it through college. Nonetheless, there is no mercy as a parent when it comes to topics like these, so pressing on in relentless pursuit of a solution is critical. Growing up I was told by my parents and teachers alike that I needed to attend a good university and that community college was really not an option. I started to think that there was something wrong with the people that attended community college, as if it existed only to serve the needs of the kids who weren’t “good” enough to universities, and of course, the dreaded adult students! Now here I sit an “adult student” at a community college, this isn’t my first time, nor will it be my last and I can’t help but wonder, why did I ever feel that way? Yes, I did attend a university for a couple of years, but it just wasn’t for me. I got lost in the shuffle and end the end realized I just wanted to go to work; I was tired of school as the only focus in my life. This research paper could not have come at better time I am extremely curious to find out whether or not others are finding benefits in attending community college in lieu of the university life? And, I would like to know more about the costs of community college versus a traditional university and whether or not the extra cost of the university life is justified through a lifetime of earnings.

Thanks,

Justin R. Strain