Students are idle, shiftless (is anyone ever described as shiftful?), and live on a diet of baked beans, Pot Noodles and unlabelled lager, while avoiding all lectures for three or more years. Then they emerge, blinking in the light, clutching a degree and demanding a highly paid job.
At least, that is the popular perception of the future generations who will eventually be, heaven help us, running the country. We as a society need to correct that view (especially as today's youth will indeed be running the country at some point and we probably ought to stay on their right side) and show students for what they are — the perfect guiding light through a recession. Now, there's no suggestion that we need to adjust our palates to the delights of "artificial beer-flavoured alcoholic beverages" and instant noodles, but the facts are there to see.
Yes, students run up some manageable debt but, like hibernating dormice, they can live on practically nothing for long periods of time, and yet still always have enough cash to pay rent, eat and party all week. Many use various economic systems other than just asking for money to get things they need. A simple barter, for example, where they will say "I love you, Mum" and get, in exchange, three months' worth of laundry done. Some, it's rumoured, even go so far as to get part-time jobs.
The student is a prime example of living within one's means, making the most of what one has and improving oneself now in the anticipation of better times in the future — lessons we can surely all take to heart.
All in all, we need to give students a break. Or we would if they didn't get so many lengthy ones already.
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