Do you have any research backing up this position? It seems to fly in the face of every reputable study I've seen, which suggests the opposite is true - average genes, hard work, and sacrifice is not enough to "guarantee" anything.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but some things sure stack the deck. Average skills, hard work and a bit of ambition will greatly increase your chances of a comfortable life.
A person who manages to accumulate a million dollars is far beyond middle class and a wage of 2x the median household income is well beyond middle class.
I can tell that that isn't your story, because there's a lot of conjecture in there that isn't supported by the data. Even just starting with #1, the ability to pick a degree at _all_ is a privilege not automatically afforded to everybody. Should you be able to do so, then working during college is strongly linked to worse outcomes, as you have less time to dedicate to learning - thus making #3 harder as you're competing against people who have had better chances than you. If you can't do 3, you can't do 4, 5, 6, or 7, and 8 is predicated on that.
It might be "common sense" to you, but it's directly contradicted by all the data.
taneq|7 years ago
astura|7 years ago
bpatel576|7 years ago
mywittyname|7 years ago
astura|7 years ago
annabellish|7 years ago
madeuptempacct|7 years ago
1. Pick practical degree, because you are poor and anything else is luxury.
2. Work in college, because you are poor. End up with 30k of debt because you are dumn and didn't get a scholarship.
3. Make 40k a year. (22% fed, let's say 4% state), 30k net. -10k rent, -10k expenses, 10k left.
4. Pay off college by 25.
5. Save up 50k by 30.
6. Masters degree by 32 with no debt.
7. Increase income to 100k by 45.
8. Congrats middle class pleb. (Which I am, though this isn't my story)
annabellish|7 years ago
It might be "common sense" to you, but it's directly contradicted by all the data.