than was tired of his dead-end job that offered no health benefits, of not earning enough money to have the life he believed his family deserved. Some of his friends with college degrees had good careers, nice homes, and better lifestyles than he did. Ethan wanted the kind of life he saw them enjoying, so he decided to enroll at Strayer University and turn his life around. He eagerly signed up for two ground classes and one online class. Of course, he had to take out a student loan to cover the costs, but with the career that he hoped for upon graduating, Ethan was confident that he could repay the debt easily.

Once classes started that first semester, Ethan quickly realized that making his dream come true would be harder than he thought. He still had his 8 to 5 job, his boys--aged 16, 14, and 8--still required his time and attention, and family and friends still dropped by unannounced to visit. He maintained his long-standing tradition of date night with his wife every Saturday, and he continued to bowl a few games with his buddies on Sunday afternoons. Ethan soon discovered that it was hard to find time to study and do the required course work.

During Week 7, his youngest child was hospitalized for three days with appendicitis. The bill came to just under $19,000. Since his employer doesn’t offer insurance, Ethan began working double shifts to pay the medical bill.

After his first quarter in college had ended, Ethan had a 1.4 grade-point average, over $4000 in student loan debt, and a hospital bill that would take years to pay off. It’s now time to enroll in his second quarter, and--while Ethan still believes that education is the key to a better life--he is hesitant.