The American Next

As attorney jobs have vanished since 2008, the debt law students carry is a heavier burden.

Jasmine Mack, 18, has big dreams. She wants to travel the world and become a teacher so she can work with children. She also plans to attend Moberly Area Community College, but all of this depends on her finances.

Ashley Glover dreams big, but she knows that dreams take time and hard work. Glover might have put her dreams on hold for her family, but she hasn't given up and hopes to someday make it as a singer.

Four friends try to make it through school with passing grades, search for decent jobs and hope for better lives than what they've seen in their hometowns. They are sweet and sassy, funny and frustrating, maddening and, at times, tragic.

Having a baby and losing her father in the same year wasn't part of Amber Carpenter's plans, but she's still working toward her American Dream.

Jody Paschal bought a shoe store somewhat on a whim. He says he'd never be an owner again — it hasn't worked out quite like he's hoped. Much of his life hasn't either. He wishes he were married with kids, and he says he always pictured he'd be further along in life, though he's not sure what that picture of life is.

Most of the young people I talked to in reporting for the American Next project said they believed in the American Dream theoretically but didn’t think they could live it themselves.

James Lehnhoff takes pride in the work he does to provide for his wife and kids, even if selling insurance might not be what he wants to do forever. He seems happy. The prospects for his family: promising. What about young people who aren't as lucky — who don't grow up in loving homes with goals, consequences or direction?

Our unpredictable future has left us without a plan for how to achieve our goals.

Esquire explores some of the hardships faced by young Americans in a must-read story titled "The war against youth."

Debates about America's health care are impeding America's innovation in the field.

Is the hesitance to travel to find jobs linked to students defining themselves as less hardworking and more entitled than previous generations?

Small business has seen slow recovery in Fulton, Mo., as seen in many small towns across the country.

College of the Ozarks allows students to work for the university in lieu of paying tuition. Students explain how they feel the program benefits them.

With student loan debt in the United States exceeding consumer credit card debt for the first time in history, the decision of whether to go to — or stay in — college becomes a cost-benefit analysis.

Colleges are offering a variety of cost-cutting incentives to lure in prospective students, but tactics such as freezing tuition and offering graduation guarantees can have negative impacts for students.

If we look beyond the here and now, what are the long-term ripple effects of the birth-rate decline?

"If you think you're succeeding, that's when you slack and you drop off the map," Eugene "EZ" Lacy says. It's active striving that is Lacy's American Dream. "Doing anything you want to be successful in," he says.

"It is a hard time in our society right now… with people living above their means… so many people needing assistance," Crystal Lain said. "It's a tough time right now but we're gonna make it happen. We're gonna get past this hump."

Access to digital technology and wireless internet is stratified along economic lines.