Over the past several decades, the pathway to a good job has become longer and more challenging for young adults to navigate. Today, most young workers do not attain a good job until their early 30s, and only young workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher are consistently more likely than those in the previous generation to have a good job before age 30. Further, the disparities in good jobs by race/ethnicity and gender persist.

All along the journey from youth to young adulthood, there are critical junctures at which a change in pathway can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s future. What Works: Ten Education, Training, and Work-Based Pathway Changes That Lead to Good Jobs identifies 10 pathway changes with the greatest potential to improve employment outcomes for young adults. The report uses the Pathways-to-Career policy simulation model, developed by CEW researchers using longitudinal data, to identify promising junctures at which strategic interventions could increase the likelihood of working in a good job.

College tends to be a good investment, but it involves significant risk based on program of study, level of educational attainment, and occupation after graduation. To differentiate among the myriad options on the postsecondary pathway, students and their families should follow these 10 rules of the college and career game.

Ever since the housing crisis that triggered the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, it seems as if every industry has a “next crisis” on the way. However, the student debt crisis may be a top contender for this dubious honor. About 45.5 million Americans owe more than 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars in outstanding student loan debt, which is more than both the value of outstanding credit card debt and the value of outstanding auto loans. The cost of college in the United States has skyrocketed since the 1970s due to high tuition costs, and students are beginning to lose faith in the higher education system. Some predict that the student loan crisis will turn into the next housing bubble, but the effects of 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars of student loan debt on the nation remains to be seen.​

This report presents statistics about the cost of college in the United States. It includes an overview, and follows up with information about tuition and fees, distribution of student aid, student aid received, and student debt.

The top ranked university in the United States in 2022 according to Forbes was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students at MIT graduate with an average debt of 10,070 U.S. dollars, but have a median 10-year salary of 173,700 U.S. dollars.

Chicago Builds dates back to 2016, when the Board of Education approved its launch at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy. The program is meant to serve 120 students each school year, with half from Dunbar and half from outside the Bronzeville high school. The capital budget for the 2016-17 school year included $4.4 million for new labs and equipment for Chicago Builds, at the time called Chicago’s first comprehensive trade program.

Isaac Carter, who used to be campus manager for Chicago Builds, said the initiative was the brainchild of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush. They wanted to develop a talent pool for the construction industry and create more options for graduating students. Dunbar was selected as the home for this program, Carter said, because of its roots as a vocational technical school and its central location. Students spend part of their day at their own high school and travel to Dunbar for these classes.

Cut through the chaos and find the path that's right for you! Deciding what to do after high school is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. And that's a lot of pressure to deal with (especially when everyone else is telling you what they think you should be doing)! Undecided will help you come to grips with this often-overwhelming time of transition by putting the decision-making power back where it belongs: with you. Undecided begins by helping students think seriously about who they are and what they want and then moves on to dissect the various options that are available after high school, such as enrolling in a training program, attending a community college, taking a gap year, enlisting in the military, pursuing a traditional four-year degree, and more. It also takes an in-depth look at how to manage student debt, what you can expect to earn, the kind of lifestyle you may lead, and the possible pitfalls of all of these scenarios. Full of checklists, anecdotes, brainstorming activities, and journal exercises, this book will help you stop procrastinating, put your stress aside, and get busy living.

In Divergent Paths to College, Megan M. Holland examines how high schools structure different pathways that lead students to very different college destinations based on race and class. She finds that racial and class inequalities are reproduced through unequal access to key sources of information, even among students in the same school and even in schools with well-established college-going cultures. As the college application process becomes increasingly complex and high-stakes, social capital, or relationships with people who can provide information as well as support and guidance, becomes much more critical. Although much has been written about the college-bound experience, we know less about the role that social capital plays, and specifically how high schools can serve as organizational brokers of social ties. The relationships that high schools cultivate between students and higher education institutions by inviting college admissions officers into their schools to market to students, is a particularly critical, yet unexplored source of college information.

Clearing the Path for First-Generation College Students comprises a wide range of studies that explore the multidimensional social processes and meanings germane to the experiences of first-generation college students before and during their matriculation into institutions of higher education. The chapters offer timely, empirical examinations of the ways that these students negotiate experiences shaped by structural inequities in higher education institutions and the pathways that lead to them. This volume provides insight into the dilemmas that arise from the transformation of students'class identities in pursuit of upward mobility, as well as their quest for community and a sense of “belonging” on college campuses that have not been historically designed for them. While centering first-generation status, this collection also critically engages the ways in which other dimensions of social identity intersect to inform students'educational experiences in relation to dynamics of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, and immigration. Additionally, this book takes a holistic approach by exploring the ways in which first-generation college students are influenced by, and engage with, their families and communities of origin as they undertake their educational careers.

Higher education has been commodified as neoliberal ideology is reflected in and perpetuated through social discourses, such as memorable messages. These discourses socialize young adults to college and shape their understanding about the purpose of higher education. Through in-depth interviews with 20 first-year college students, we found that the memorable messages students received from their family, peers, and high school teachers reinforce the dominant neoliberal, job-centered understanding of college's purpose. In turn, we suggest critical communication pedagogy as a form of resistance instructors and institutions can use to promote a more expansive view of higher education and teaching/learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]