Everything has a price, and it can be hard for one who is working and raising and taking care of a family while maintaining decent grades.

Being able to afford the cost of school should not compound the problem.

One of the most debated questions in the presidential primaries is “Should college be free?” Community colleges should be state-funded. With an associate’s, it’s still possible to open doors because one will have experience. It’s easier to achieve one’s ideal career with a degree for it.

A country’s top priority should be to give its people the ability to successfully pursue a career.

A bachelor’s degree is extra, and one can still obtain a job or internship with just two years of experience, then have the money to finish their education and remain out of debt.

An associate’s at a community college only takes two years to complete if a student takes a full-time schedule.

It costs $768 to fund a full-time semester at TCC for a Tarrant County resident, which has some good payment plans, but not everyone can afford that. Not every person has the luxury of having parents pay for their secondary degree.

I once moved out of my parents’ house into my own apartment and took a break from TCC.
I would contemplate taking a few classes but I was so worried about getting behind on the bills.

My paychecks would come out to around $950, while rent came out to around $1,000. I had a roommate, but she could only pay $250 of the rent, so enrolling in a full-time semester was out of the question. It wasn’t until I moved back with my parents that I started my education again and took it more seriously.

States can afford to add funds for community colleges from taxes. Making community colleges free and accessible to everyone is a step in the right direction in terms of providing quality higher education to all students in Texas.