It used to be the predominant college student came from a family that was well-off and fairly well-connected. Jobs were practically guaranteed for these people

It used to be the predominant college student came from a family that was well-off and fairly well-connected. Jobs were practically guaranteed for these people if only they could demonstrate they had the basic skills. A college degree became the proxy for those skills. College degrees also provided exclusivity: if anyone challenged the "good old boys" club they could point to their all having college degrees and not just the fact they hailed from the same social class. People bought their lies hook, line, and sinker. They thought it really was the college degree that set them apart, not the fact they were wealthy and well-connected. The masses then began to get degrees. It worked for a while too - the upper middle class joined in the game and were able to participate somewhat. They weren't as well-connected, but hey, by going to college you could rub elbows with those who were and - OPPORTUNITY! Networking! Now so many people are getting college degrees the line of exclusivity has changed. A Bachelor's degree is no longer sufficient, you need to have a Master's degree. And so on. The untold story here is there are only so many "good jobs", and the wealthy and well-connected are going to get first dibs on those jobs. That's the way things have been since antiquity. Any of those "good jobs" they don't want will go to those who "prove" themselves worthy, and these days that's typically the people who have earned advanced degrees. So - for those "losing faith" in a college education, do you suppose they'll figure what's been going on all along for these thousands of years since we began this civilization experiment?