"there needs to be a better understanding of the fact that the job market is, well, a market, and salaries will adjust based upon the supply of that market" Co

"there needs to be a better understanding of the fact that the job market is, well, a market, and salaries will adjust based upon the supply of that market" Completely agree, but you're pointing out a chicken and egg problem. You want 17 year olds that are about to graduate from high school to understand market forces, economics, and a whole lot of information that's just simply not being taught in most high schools. In fact, learning such things is the reason many people go to college in the first place. That's simply too much to ask, so we shouldn't be surprised when those students make the wrong choices because we as a society haven't prepared them to make the right ones. Not only are they disadvantaged by being teens (don't have fully developed brains, almost no experience, can't fully control emotions etc.), they are also disadvantaged by not having the proper learning experiences. Seems like what I'm trying to say is that the fix that's needed needs to happen much earlier and we as a society are failing spectacularly at providing it.