Father goes to college at 36 to end vicious cycle of poverty

(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.

A hard life prompted a return to college

In 2014, Lloyd Morgan, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, man, found himself struggling to provide for his family of three children. He worked multiple jobs, including weekends, but still earned less than $50,000 a year.

At the age of 36, Morgan realized that his education was a barrier to getting a high-paying job. So he decided to go back to school and enroll at Penn State Abington, a part of Pennsylvania State University (USA). 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, Mr. Morgan has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. He works as a communications director for Pennsylvania Senator - Mr. Jimmy Dillon. Mr. Morgan's current income is 78,500 USD/year, 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. When they graduate from college, they are immediately faced with paying off a large amount of debt.

Hesitant about that debt, many young Americans after graduating from high school choose to go to work immediately. Morgan was the same, 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 degrees 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 jobs with 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 himself suited to this job 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 understood 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 higher qualifications, 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. He then went on to earn a master's degree in social policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

During his studies, Morgan cut down on his income-earning work to have more time for his studies, accepting that his family's finances were greatly affected. During that time, Morgan's family was in a difficult situation, so they registered to receive support from the government to buy cheap food and receive free health care.

Mr. 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 the age of 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 quite 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 abilities, otherwise he could still be unemployed and struggling to find work.

All in all, Morgan was happy with the way his life was going, he was able to find a well-paying job. Even when the job fell through, he had no regrets about his choice to go back to college.

"When I was young, I used to think that if I won the lottery, I would go to university. However, in middle age, even if I didn't win the lottery, I still 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 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