Tuesday Poetry: Higher Education

I was always told I had
To go to college to get
A good job – 
I struggled and chose
A path more difficult
Than others – 
I first went to a junior college
And earned an Associate’s
I traveled out of state
To a university and
After two semesters
I couldn’t afford
Out-of-state tuition
I took a break to gain
In-state residency – four years – 
I went back and graduated
The first in my family
To earn a Bachelors – 
I struggled finding work in my field
Or work with benefits
Everyone asked for ten years experience
Or a Master’s degree – 
I got more student loans
I increased my debt
And earned a Master’s
Now the only jobs that will interview me
Are coffee shops offering minimum wage
Or I can scrub toilets – 
What happened to all the good jobs
That were supposed to be waiting
For me when I graduated – 
An education is the most important
Thing a person can get
Paying for that education
Is not the most important thing

From the poetry collection Cats, Coffee, Catharsis.