In societies around the world, today's young adults, from all types of socioeconomic backgrounds, feel pressure to pursue a post-secondary education as much as generations have done in the past. This is often the influence of those individuals who have taught us everything we know thus far; parents, teachers, government figures, scholars and even celebrities. It is at this time in our lives that we need to begin analyzing some elements of post-secondary education, such as what is the purpose, who benefits from an individual's education, and who should pay for it? The answers to these and other related questions will vary among societies, among nations, and among individuals. How we perceive goals This topic is approached in many different ways around the world, as individual countries vary across the political spectrum from each other. For example, many Scandinavian countries offer post-secondary education at little or no cost; In North America, we see significant variation in the cost of college between Canada and the United States, with states implementing much higher costs than here. There are pros and cons to consider for both extremes. On the one hand, students in countries that offer education are likely to be less stressed by the costs associated with school, but tax rates in those countries are typically much higher. On the other hand, students who are required to pay for their own education are more likely to apply themselves and do well in their studies, even if the extreme costs make them inaccessible to many people. In Canada, particularly Alberta, as mentioned in previous lessons, university students pay approximately 25% of the operating costs of their post-secondary institution. When all is said and done, this still adds up to a significant amount of money that puts most of us in debt for many years. However, I think this requirement has great value as an incentive to do well in school and become a well-educated citizen. I also think that, with the rest of the funding coming largely from government taxation, this exemplifies not only the value that governments and societies place on education, but also the support that post-secondary students can know they receive. University is an investment in the future and everyone is an investor in a democratic and socialist country like Canada. Since post-secondary education is not compulsory, I think it is fair to ask students to contribute to the cost of their future, as well as the future of their children.