Back to College, the Only Gateway to the Middle Class

[Crewleader]

by Robert Reich

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014

This week, millions of young people head to college and universities, aiming for a four-year liberal arts degree. They assume that degree is the only gateway to the American middle class.

It shouldn’t be.

For one thing, a four-year liberal arts degree is hugely expensive. Too many young people graduate laden with debts that take years if not decades to pay off.

And too many of them can’t find good jobs when they graduate, in any event. So they have to settle for jobs that don’t require four years of college. They end up overqualified for the work they do, and underwhelmed by it.

Others drop out of college because they’re either unprepared or unsuited for a four-year liberal arts curriculum. When they leave, they feel like failures.

We need to open other gateways to the middle class.

http://robertreich.org/post/96377869820

[tazkcmo]

1. College

It used to take you above the middle class in most cases. A notable exception being teaching. Teachers were and still are under paid.

The bar keeps getting lower.