Everyone being little babies who don't want to move to find a job or who truly don't want to do any real work. So, I would say laziness.

My parents were barely above the poverty line (still are). I make ~$25k more per year than they do combined, and my earning potential has yet to be fully reached. My older brother makes about 25k more pear year than I do, has a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and his wife has a Masters in Social Work. They make well into 6 figures combined, but he accounts for most of it.

Well, that's 2 kids from one family that prove you wrong. My sister who is 5 years younger than me teaches English to Japanese kids and has excellent earning potential as well. 3/3 now. Maybe we just had really good parents, though neither of them graduated from college, they did at least wait to have kids until they were married. They are living above the poverty line, but like I said, barely. We all started in Michigan. I ended up in Louisville, my sister is in the Chicago area, and my brother is in Germany. If you have to leave your ****ty home town to make it, then do it.

Parenting is key in your situation it sounds, they probably valued educated for you guys so you did also.

Cultural failings of people in a cycle of poverty is not societies fault.

You could pay for a 2 year degree off pell grants and work part time to afford a room in a house most places. There is enough assistance out there but people get comfortable and don't want to work any harder. Thats why going back to school after being out is hard for most.

If there was a huge supply of eligable candidates for a job they would not have a demand and either it would pay less or you would be going against thousands of candidates.

this is true but as people are pointing out, what about the middle aged man/woman with a family? Not an option for them. Those are the true hardluck cases where there's not much they can do. But still plenty that have options that arent willing to do what's needed

^^Exactly what I did. Zero debt checking in.

Because they're in victim mode, often coming from generations of people in victim mode. Once you realize life aint fair, and the only one who is going to get you to the next level is you, can you get out of victim mode and move forward. Not everyone gets to start at the same starting line of life. No one denies that: See life aint fair.

it is definitely harder but still doable. There were multiple single parents in my nursing class. Just depends if they have the motivation/ambition.