In a competitive environment you have to compare yourself to others today, not yesterday. Your relative education level and the demand at that level is what cou

In a competitive environment you have to compare yourself to others today, not yesterday. Your relative education level and the demand at that level is what counts. So while your absolute education opportunities may be better than ever, the requirements to get a half-decent job are higher, too. Which means you have to learn for longer to reach a higher absolute level. But even ignoring other resources, the poorest may simply not have as much time to spare as those from a wealthy family.