(Dan Tri) - At the age of 36, Mr. Morgan understood that his educational background was a barrier preventing him from getting a high-paying job in the US. Therefore, he decided to go back to university to continue his studies.
Hardship prompts return to college
In 2014, Lloyd Morgan found himself struggling to provide for his wife, husband, and three children. Morgan, who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, worked multiple jobs, including weekends, but still made less than $50,000 a year.
At 36, Morgan realized that his education was a barrier to getting a high-paying job. So he decided to go back to school and enrolled at Penn State Abington, a Pennsylvania State University. This decision changed his life.
Lloyd Morgan (center) was honored by the Penn State Abington University board of directors for his achievements after graduation (Photo: BI).
10 years later, Morgan has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. He works as the communications director for Pennsylvania Senator Jimmy Dillon. Morgan's current income is $78,500/year, and the quality of life for him and his family has improved significantly.
Morgan’s story is a common one for Americans in general. Many young people in the United States struggle with the first important decision they make after high school: whether or not to go to college.
Going to college often forces students without financial support from their families to borrow money from the government, the school or the bank to pay for their tuition. Upon graduating from college, students are immediately faced with a significant amount of debt to pay off.
Hesitant about that debt, many young Americans after graduating from high school choose to go to work right away. Morgan was no exception, he only finished college and then went to work.
However, it was during his struggles with low-income jobs that Morgan realized the value of a degree and education. He chose to go to university when he was no longer young to get a higher degree and have the opportunity to find a job with a better income.
Accepting financial crisis to pursue education
In 1997, Morgan attended Dean College in Massachusetts. After completing two years of study, he began working in preschool centers. He found the work suitable for him and began babysitting for middle-class families.
For a decade, Morgan worked as a babysitter and tutor for many wealthy families in Philadelphia and earned up to $70,000 a year.
However, as Morgan got older, he found that his job opportunities were dwindling. By 2010, the last family that was still working with him decided to stop.
Mr. Morgan fell on hard times. He returned to teaching at early childhood education centers and worked at restaurants and cafes on weekends to increase his income.
In 2018, at the age of 40, Morgan finished his master's degree and started a new journey in his career (Photo: BI).
In 2014, Morgan realized that despite working hard all week, he was still not able to provide for his family. He realized that his education and qualifications were becoming a barrier between him and ideal job opportunities. After some consideration, he decided to go back to university to get a higher degree, hoping to have a stable job with better pay.
In 2017, Morgan earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and social science from Penn State Abington University. He then went on to earn a master's degree in social policy from the University of Pennsylvania.
During his studies, Morgan reduced his income-earning work to have more time for his studies, accepting that his family's finances were greatly affected. During that period, Morgan's family was in a difficult situation, so they registered to receive support from the authorities to buy cheap food and receive free health care.
Morgan sought all the support he could get to help his family through the hardship and to help himself complete his studies.
In 2018, at age 40, Morgan finished his master’s degree and started an internship in the office of a Pennsylvania state congressman. After an eight-month internship, he was hired as a full-time paralegal. The starting salary was modest, only about $31,000 a year.
Since then, Morgan has continued to work with politicians in Pennsylvania. In September 2023, he was hired to work in the office of Pennsylvania Senator Jimmy Dillon. Morgan now earns nearly $80,000 a year and has successfully improved his family's quality of life.
Mr. Morgan studied for a master's degree in social policy at the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious university in the US (Photo: BI).
One problem Morgan faces now is trying to pay off his college debt. Plus, every job has its challenges. He needs to prove his worth, or he could still find himself unemployed and struggling to find work.
All in all, Morgan was happy with the way his life was going, and he was able to find a well-paying job. Even when things got tough, he didn't regret his choice to go back to college.
"When I was young, I thought that if I won the lottery, I would go to college. However, in middle age, even if I didn't win the lottery, I went back to school to get a bachelor's and master's degree, because that was the only way for me to have better things in my work and life," said Mr. Morgan.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nguoi-cha-di-hoc-dai-hoc-o-tuoi-36-de-cham-dut-vong-luan-quan-cua-cai-ngheo-20241120103827034.htm
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