I am a graduate student and I TA for various professors' undergraduate classes in a STEM, but not engineering, field. After spending about a decade outside of

I am a graduate student and I TA for various professors' undergraduate classes in a STEM, but not engineering, field. After spending about a decade outside of academia, I wonder about the phenomenon of class attendance dropping off as the semester or quarter progresses. Previously, I would have chalked this up to students being irresponsible etc. And while there are certainly cases of this happening, and 18-22 year olds aren't finished (psychologically) maturing... I wonder if one reason for the drop-off in student attendance is simply that students don't perceive certain classes to be that valuable for them / their goals / the rest of their life. I know a few undergrads who have taken graduate level seminars and are struggling to get their first job. Some professors who have no experience outside of Academia aren't exactly equipped to impart deeper wisdom.