Source: Fortune
The college-as-economic-guarantor model is breaking down. Forty-two percent of recent graduates are underemployed by credential requirements—a structural problem, not cyclical job market weakness. This mismatch fuels youth discontent driving global protests. Graduates face simultaneous burdens of debt service, credential inflation, and wage stagnation, making the return on educational investment materially negative for a large cohort. Consumer behavior is shifting. Younger people are questioning major life purchases—homes, cars, starting families—and reconsidering education spending itself, reshaping demand across banking, housing, and edtech sectors.