Another sign of a bubble is that a factor is ignored in the pursuit of something. Everything looks great until that factor (mortgage defaults, non-sustainabili

Another sign of a bubble is that a factor is ignored in the pursuit of something. Everything looks great until that factor (mortgage defaults, non-sustainability of business plans, systemic risk, etc.) rears its ugly head and pops the bubble. The focus on more schooling was originally based on the desire to allow people to be upwardly mobile economically. However, what is happening is that the current system is making a college degree a given for a middle-class job. You can no longer get a middle-class job through an apprenticeship or a trade school. You have to go to a 4-year college. As a result, economic (and social) mobility has been pinned entirely on "did you go to college".