Degrees no longer guarantee a seat at the table
42% of recent grads are working jobs that don’t need their degrees, sparking global protests.
The story
42% of recent U.S. college graduates are underemployed, working jobs that don't require a degree, while youth protests erupt globally over education and job market issues.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
The Fed’s data shows that 42% of recent grads are stuck in jobs that don’t need their degrees, but the real problem is the promise that a degree would guarantee a better life. Now, that promise is a liability, and the system is failing to deliver on it.
With so many degrees floating around and so few good jobs, the pressure builds until the young decide the system is rigged. In Nepal, India, and France, they’ve taken to the streets, not just for jobs, but for a sense of worth that the system has failed to provide.
the system keeps producing more graduates, even as it can’t absorb them. The machine keeps turning, but the seats aren’t there, and the kids are getting restless.
