If the economy is improving, why are so many people and businesses still struggling?

Was it harder or easier for previous generations to get ahead? What about the future?

Pondering such questions can yield frustration — or insight.

More than a century ago, a robber baron was asked to explain the stock market. His answer required only two words: “It fluctuates.”

Our entire economy fluctuates, of course, and although many of its numerous components are interrelated, very few are predictable. Attempts to synchronize, plan or choreograph economies work about as well as similar attempts to impose structured order on life.

Shift — and stuff — happens. If we can’t control or predict life’s fluctuations, what can we do?

We could put all of our eggs in a basket labeled “luck.” This strategy would pay dividends every once in a while, but faith in random luck is about the same as faith in predictability. Over time, the resulting frustrations outpace the rewards.

What we can do is pay attention, learn and prepare. We must be ready for the ups as well as the downs — the cyclical and the inexplicable. Surprises shouldn’t surprise us.

Conventional wisdom has its place. That place is often in the past, where we can draw on it to meet new situations in new ways.

I’m no philosopher — just a guy working with many others to position a college in ways that advance student and community success. It’s not easy, and some days I don’t know which way to turn.

Students of every age come to us with backgrounds and situations that don’t fit anyone’s definition of “college-ready.” We must make our colleges ready for different students. Yesterday’s assumptions are no longer valid.

Maine, like many other states, has shamefully little money to invest in fundamental priorities such as higher education. Debates about how and where to invest the insufficient resources grow acrimonious. Still, our educational institutions produce countless success stories that inspire and amaze.

On the other hand, an uncomfortably large proportion of students fail to achieve their educational goals. Sometimes we do all the right things and the carpet is pulled out from under us.

A student works long and hard to prepare for a successful career, and then shift happens. The very employer that begged for more workers with specific skills announces layoffs.

And today we face the ultimate in ironic fluctuations: as the economy rises, albeit unevenly, college enrollments fall.

These are rough days in the ivory towers of academia.

Alas, I chose this career. I love the challenges of my job and always will. My purpose is to educate, not complain.

Southern Maine Community College’s mission is to empower students to respond to a changing world, and to enhance economic and cultural development.

For 67 years, we’ve been overcoming challenges and changing with the times to better fulfill our mission. Here we go again.

As always, we’ll make the successes outpace the frustrations.

RONALD G. CANTOR, Ph.D., is president of Southern Maine Community College.