preview

Is The American Dream Still Achievable Today

Decent Essays

Is the American dream still achievable today? It is a question that is sure to invoke strong opinions from both sides of the question. One problem with the american dream still being achievable is the uncertainty of what it actually is. In order to determine whether it is still achievable, it must be determined what it is. Additionally, in the hyper competitive job environment of the modern day, simply being hard-working is not enough to be successful. Also, the lack of economic security for many americans leads to trying to stay alive, rather than aim for a dream that seems way out of reach. This all adds up to the american dream being unachievable in the modern day. In order to tell whether the american dream is achievable, we must know …show more content…

Back then, the dream was to be be able to work hard, and by doing that. you could be successful. Nowadays, however, the dream isn't as simple. A chief reason for this is the increasing gap between social classes. As the gap widens, the respective members of the classes dreams differentiate. For example, someone born into a wealthy family does not dream of being rich. Rather, they may simply dream of being happy. Also, for someone born into poverty, the dream may not be to be rich, but rather just to earn enough to live another day. This all adds up to the american dream being something different for …show more content…

This is evident in the words of people actively searching for jobs. Mark Mclellan, a former manager at a local employer, has seen his credentials become less and less valuable over the years. In the past, he says “I had a house with a swimming pool, new cars. My wife never had to work. I was right in the middle of middle-class America and I knew it and I loved it.” He was able to live a middle class life without a college degree, by simply working hard and being loyal to a company. Nowadays, he says he regrets not obtaining a degree, because his lack of college education has left him at a severe disadvantage when seeking a job. This illustrates how hard it is to be accomplished in the current job world. If you do not have a degree, you are always one step behind those who do. This can be further illustrated by Andy Blevins, a college dropout who left college to pursue a warehouse job. He now thinks that he could've done more with a degree. He laments that when looking for a job "A lot of places, they're not looking that you're trained in something,They just want you to have a degree." This contradicts one of the key parts of many people's conceptions of the american dream, which says that if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded accordingly. Rather, the key to a successful career is a college degree. This puts many people at a disadvantage due to a lack of opportunity to get

Get Access