While at first it might seem like going to college is the way to break through income barriers and move up a few notches on the wage ladder, new research is finding this is anything but the case.
In 1979, 56.7 percent of low-wage workers had a high school degree, while in 2013 that number stood at 77.5 percent.
Yet this trend also holds true for low-wage workers who have attended at least some college or have a college degree. In 1979 only 23.9 percent of low-wage workers had some college experience or a college degree, while by 2013 that group had grown to 44.2 percent – nearly double!
Over the same period of time, low-wage workers’ hourly wages have not improved much either, especially adjusted for inflation.
The implication here is that almost half of U.S. graduates can do no better than a low-wage job.
That is deeply troubling and indicates it is time to rethink the “college for everyone” strategy as ‘fair’ and instead realize it is nothing more than our government delaying the inevitable of a middle-class being down-trodden and in debt.
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