????秋季來臨。全美各地的大學校園中成千上萬的學生們正在選擇專業，希望藉此為將來獲得夢寐以求的工作做好準備。但他們可能也很失望，因為聽說很多學長學姐們都在咖啡館做招待，賺取微薄的收入。

????確實，美國年輕人的生計比以前更嚴峻了。發展政策研究所（Progressive Policy Institute）對美國人口普查局（U.S. Census）最新數據的研究顯示，25-34歲擁有本科學歷的年輕人全職工作的實際收入已連續六年下降。2011年，他們賺的錢比2005年少了10,000美元，經通脹調整后的收入從64,500美元減少到了54,500美元。

????最令人費解的并不是去年或前年的情況。《財富》雜志（Fortune）向這家位于華盛頓特區的智囊機構發問：年輕大學畢業生收入下滑的情況相比其他全職工作者怎樣？經濟學家戴安娜?卡魯仔細研究了大量的數據后發現，2009年，年輕大學畢業生的收入破天荒地低于其他所有18歲及以上的就業者群體（無論受教育程度）。2004年，美國樓市一片繁榮，年輕大學畢業生的收入出現了增長，而其他全職工作者的薪資繼續停滯不前。2005年隨著市場開始出現降溫跡象，年輕大學畢業生的收入從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在年輕人身上打上了印記。金融危機爆發后這幾年，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致了2009年的急轉彎。總的來說，2005年以來的下降趨勢反映了她所謂的“大擠壓”時代，大學畢業生開始從事技術含量更低的工作——如牙醫助手、巴士司機和美發師等不需要本科學歷的工作。與此同時，中產階級就業機會（像教師、銷售代表和金融分析師）持續減少。

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

????正如《財富》雜志去年所指，大學畢業生一生賺的錢遠遠高于只有高中學歷的人。就算大學學費不斷飆升，上大學仍然物有所值。

????鑒于大學畢業生面臨的問題，我們更應關注那些沒機會上大學的人所面臨的困境。如果就連大學畢業生們也只能接受那些不需要本科學歷的工作，數百萬只有高中文憑、在邊緣掙扎的年輕人又會怎么樣？

????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?