By Kyle Peveto, Opinion Editor

Column Schmolumn

In three weeks, I will embark on my post-graduate journey. It does not scare me, but I do realize I’ll never enjoy the same freedom I did in college.

No more summer vacations, spring breaks or month-long Christmas vacations. Instead of spending 13 hours a week in class, I’m gonna spend at least 40 at work.

Almost 40 percent of Americans now work more than 40 hours a week according to U.S. News and World Report. I’m willing to bet the great majority of those 40 percent do not feel any great loyalty or love for the corporation or person they work for.

Studies also say Americans work about 12 hours a week more than Europeans, and 26 percent of Americans never take any vacation at all.

Americans get less vacation time than any other industrialized nation-an average of eight days after a year on the job. Europeans get four to six weeks a year, and workers in communist China even get three weeks off, according to the Work to Live Web site.

In America, the great bastion of individualism and freedom, we work more and get less personal time than any other industrialized country.

Americans, while we work more, spend less time with our families and less time doing what we want. Our families, bodies and sanity suffer.

A movement called Work to Live has petitioned Congress for years to establish a minimum paid leave-a longer mandatory vacation time given to American workers. Go to their Web site at www.worktolive.info and work toward securing yourself a sane future away from your job.

Work to live, don’t live for work.