????秋季來臨。全美各地的大學(xué)校園中成千上萬的學(xué)生們正在選擇專業(yè)，希望藉此為將來獲得夢(mèng)寐以求的工作做好準(zhǔn)備。但他們可能也很失望，因?yàn)槁犝f很多學(xué)長(zhǎng)學(xué)姐們都在咖啡館做招待，賺取微薄的收入。

????確實(shí)，美國(guó)年輕人的生計(jì)比以前更嚴(yán)峻了。發(fā)展政策研究所（Progressive Policy Institute）對(duì)美國(guó)人口普查局（U.S. Census）最新數(shù)據(jù)的研究顯示，25-34歲擁有本科學(xué)歷的年輕人全職工作的實(shí)際收入已連續(xù)六年下降。2011年，他們賺的錢比2005年少了10,000美元，經(jīng)通脹調(diào)整后的收入從64,500美元減少到了54,500美元。

????最令人費(fèi)解的并不是去年或前年的情況?！敦?cái)富》雜志（Fortune）向這家位于華盛頓特區(qū)的智囊機(jī)構(gòu)發(fā)問：年輕大學(xué)畢業(yè)生收入下滑的情況相比其他全職工作者怎樣？經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家戴安娜?卡魯仔細(xì)研究了大量的數(shù)據(jù)后發(fā)現(xiàn)，2009年，年輕大學(xué)畢業(yè)生的收入破天荒地低于其他所有18歲及以上的就業(yè)者群體（無論受教育程度）。2004年，美國(guó)樓市一片繁榮，年輕大學(xué)畢業(yè)生的收入出現(xiàn)了增長(zhǎng)，而其他全職工作者的薪資繼續(xù)停滯不前。2005年隨著市場(chǎng)開始出現(xiàn)降溫跡象，年輕大學(xué)畢業(yè)生的收入從64,500美元的峰值急速下降到了2009年的56,500美元。

????此次大蕭條的金融震蕩已經(jīng)在年輕人身上打上了印記。金融危機(jī)爆發(fā)后這幾年，他們的收入加速下降，一直來到今天的水平。

????卡魯說，目前還不清楚是什么導(dǎo)致了2009年的急轉(zhuǎn)彎?？偟膩碚f，2005年以來的下降趨勢(shì)反映了她所謂的“大擠壓”時(shí)代，大學(xué)畢業(yè)生開始從事技術(shù)含量更低的工作——如牙醫(yī)助手、巴士司機(jī)和美發(fā)師等不需要本科學(xué)歷的工作。與此同時(shí)，中產(chǎn)階級(jí)就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)（像教師、銷售代表和金融分析師）持續(xù)減少。

????不過，盡管如此，受過大學(xué)教育的人仍然普遍比沒有本科學(xué)歷的人過得好——即便很多人也不得不搬回家與父母同住。

????正如《財(cái)富》雜志去年所指，大學(xué)畢業(yè)生一生賺的錢遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于只有高中學(xué)歷的人。就算大學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)不斷飆升，上大學(xué)仍然物有所值。

????鑒于大學(xué)畢業(yè)生面臨的問題，我們更應(yīng)關(guān)注那些沒機(jī)會(huì)上大學(xué)的人所面臨的困境。如果就連大學(xué)畢業(yè)生們也只能接受那些不需要本科學(xué)歷的工作，數(shù)百萬只有高中文憑、在邊緣掙扎的年輕人又會(huì)怎么樣？

????Fall has arrived. Across U.S. college campuses, thousands of students are deciding on majors that will hopefully prep them for the job they've dreamed of. But they're probably also pretty discouraged, having heard that so many graduates before them are spending their days as baristas earning a measly wage.

????Indeed, it's tougher out there for America's young people. For the sixth year in a row, real earnings declined for 25 to 34-year-olds with a bachelor's degree working full-time, according to Progressive Policy Institute's look at the latest U.S. Census data. In 2011, they earned $10,000 less than they did in 2005, falling from an inflation-adjusted $64,500 to $54,500.

????What's most perplexing isn't what happened last year or even the year before. Fortune asked the Washington, DC-based think tank how the slide in earnings of young college grads compares to most other full-timers. Economist Diana Carew crunched the numbers and found that in 2009, earnings for young graduates fell below all other workers 18 years old or older, regardless of education, for the first time. Young college-educated workers saw their earnings rise in 2004 amid the height of the U.S. housing market boom, while wages and salaries for all other full-timers continued to stagnate. As the market started showing signs of cooling in 2005, young graduates saw earnings immediately plunge from their $64,500 peak to $56,500 by 2009.

????The financial turmoil of the Great Recession has almost certainly left a mark on young people. In the years following the downturn, the drop in earnings accelerated to where they are today.

????It's uncertain what drove the 2009 turnover, Carew says. More broadly, the decline since 2005 reflects what she's coined "The Great Squeeze," where college grads take lower-skilled jobs – jobs like dental assistants, bus drivers and hairstylists that don't call for a bachelor's degree. This comes as middle-class jobs (think teachers, sales agents and financial analysts) continue to shrink.

????But despite this bad news, the college-educated population is still generally better off with that bachelor's degree than not – even if many have been forced to move back in with mom and dad.

????As Fortune highlighted last year, college grads earn much more over a lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. A college education is worth it, even with the soaring costs of tuition.

????The problems that college grads face should bring attention to the plight of those who aren't as lucky to go to college. As graduates are forced to take jobs that don't demand a bachelor's degree, what happens to the millions of struggling young adults with only a high school diploma?