AXIOS (Avery Lotz) - College loses its monopoly on the American Dream
Whether framed on an office wall, collecting dust in a box or still a distant dream, the college diploma is getting a hard reappraisal. Why it matters: College was once sold as a ticket to the American dream. But students today are taking a tougher look at the college tradeoff: burdensome debt and no guarantee of a dream career — or employment at all, as AI threatens the jobs the degrees were meant to unlock. "People didn't ask whether college mattered 20 years ago," says Courtney Brown, the vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation. Now, "they're asking: Are today's students going to be prepared for tomorrow's jobs? Is it really helping them out?" - Confidence in higher education slipped among both parties and all…
AI:The long-held promise that a college degree serves as a guaranteed ticket to the American Dream is collapsing as skyrocketing debt and the rapid rise of AI threaten traditional career paths. Confidence in higher education has plummeted across all demographics because students are increasingly questioning the value of expensive credentials that no longer ensure employment in an automated economy. While cultural pressures from parents and educators continue to push youth toward campus, a growing number of students are opting for vocational and trade programs to secure stable, tangible careers. As the academic establishment struggles to remain relevant, institutions are being forced to prove their worth through actual job outcomes rather than…Open