Of the 30% of lower class kids who go to college, how many are successful in the ways they want to be? A lower class kid who wants to become a doctor should have the same opportunities as anyone else and we should work hard to support them. But I see kids all the time who majored in communications or social studies (not kidding) and came out with $40k in student debt (half of which was spent on inflated rent and social activities). They had no guidance from their typically lower class parents beyond ''go to college'' because that is what society has been drilling into their collective heads for 30 years. We need to fundamentally rethink how to set up vocational pathways and training for young people, not try to push more of them into a system that is increasingly failing.
Story of my life.. sadly my parents just had no real concept of professional jobs, let alone connections or the experience to guide me into such a world. Eventually I wised up and took the IT path, but it was after I wasted college getting a worthless BA.
On the bright side, I grew up just before the internet got big and kids today seem much sharper, so I hold out hope for the next generation.
