Chances are if you’ve graduated from college in the last ten years you are carrying debt somewhere in the range of $20,000 to $100,000. It’s not a good way to start life. And, as the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters are demonstrating it’s really making this generation mad. College used to be affordable, but now the combination of a bad economy and the escalating cost of attending a major College or University, it is heaping huge expenses on the student and the student’s family (those of you with scholarships – congratulations!) Add that to the MAJOR competition to get into a college or university, and it’s a bad situation on many fronts.

Is there a solution? Yes! As Kahn Academy* has proven, we don’t really need the bricks and mortar of the actual college or university anymore. We just need access to the lectures, books and the opportunity to take the test – I say, if we can pass the test, we deserve the credit. Enough credits, and we deserve to matriculate (that means ‘be awarded a degree’). Of course, we have to pay the college or university to take the accredited test as they have expenses too. And, a “pay as you go” access to professors would be great. But no reason the lessons can’t be posted on the internet… we’ll form study groups through social networking and converge on the university at the appointed hour and date for the test (or use testing centers located throughout the world.) This should be a minimal expense for the student! I think $5,000.00 (five thousand US dollars is fair.)

The major Universities can even award us a secondary degree, i.e. Harvard², MIT², Rutgers², FSU², or any university². Kahn Academy could start a Kahn University! We just need potential employers to recognize that we have the knowledge, have completed the degree and are ready to go to work. This is about getting a good job and helping America. We all deserve a chance for an excellent education.

WE DESERVE A CHANCE TO PROVE OURSELVES!

*Kahn Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.

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Gwendolyn Beck started her finance career on the bond trading floor. She then moved to stocks and IPO with Morgan Stanley and personal financial planning with Wachovia.  She wrote “Flirting with Finance”, a fictional novel, for a fun way for women to learn about finance through all the relationships and events we may have in our lives.  “Flirting with Finance” is available through Barnes & Noble.   You can contact Gwendolyn at www.flirtingwithfinances.com.