Societal standards have changed throughout the past few tens of years. As it turns out, in the modern age, college is generally more necessary for a stable career than it was for our parents’ generation years ago. Studies show that more individuals graduate high school and begin their undergraduate degree now than they did in the 1980s. Then, 49 percent of students immediately enrolled in college, as opposed to 83 percent of high school graduates doing so in the modern era. So why is college more important now than it was thirty years ago?

In our current society, higher education is the goal to set when striving for a decent paying job and a middle class lifestyle. Several decades ago, college wasn’t as necessary for young adults due to the ability for one to achieve a stable and livable income with a career paying minimum wage. But the price of living has risen drastically in the last fifty years; the minimum wage, on the other hand, has only recently begun to follow suit—and only in certain states in the nation, at that. A bachelor’s degree is an unspoken prerequisite for most careers outside of the retail or fast-food markets. Most companies prefer their employees to have at least some form of formal education in addition to previous experience, even if these technically pertain to a field different than that in which applicants wish to work. Considering these notions, it may be beneficial to consider applying to an institution of higher education if one wishes to maintain a secure income in their adult life. taking into account this newfound need for a college education in the 21st century.