Social changes over the last several decades have also dramatically changed the transition from adolescence into young adulthood, and such change is reflected in policy discussions about key aspects of this transition (e.g., access to and affordability of higher education, the potential role of nonmarriage in poverty). As the manufacturing sector has given way to a service and information economy, jobs providing steady working-class incomes and benefits have been disproportionately replaced by low paying, unstable jobs without benefits (Morris & Western, 1999). Access to more secure and rewarding careers has increasingly required higher education. Indeed, wages for noncollege graduates have dropped substantially, resulting in rising relative returns to a college degree (Lemieux, 2006). Although adolescents and their parents are keenly aware of this
trend and now almost universally aspire to earn college degrees (Bachman, Johnston, & O’Malley, 2008; Schneider & Stevenson, 1999), college enrollment and graduation rates have not kept pace (Snyder, Dillow, & Hoffman, 2008). That attainment has not increased more dramatically given the rising returns to and aspirations for college degrees reflects, in part, waning public financial support for 274 JOHNSON, CROSNOE, AND ELDER, JR. higher education. Specifically, tuition has risen substantially as tax dollars have paid less and less of the cost of education and the real value of financial aid options such as Pell Grants has eroded (Kane, 2007).

Regarding Crosnoe, Elder, Jr, and Johnson (2011), it is sophisticated to interprets the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Most likely, in the United States, more than 50% of high school graduates work after complete their high school programs (Employment and unemployment of recent high school graduates and dropouts, 2015). Most jobs like sales, cleaner, and server do not require specific qualifications which resulting in a positive employment rate. But however, it’s unstable because these young adults tire to repeat the sameness work every day. Or maybe there’s employment competition who well educated than these young adults take advantage which stimulates to acquire a higher education for professional occupation. Moreover, in order to pursue their academic achievements, high tuition becomes a huge consideration. In my perspective, two main factors for these young adults to apply for financial aid are personal (family) income and his/her educational performance (the class grade that they received from high school). So, is that mean students will not receive financial aids if the appearance of low academic performance on their transcripts? I think such social changes accentuated the burden of these young adults because there must have people who don’t have his/her family to support them. Maybe there’s another kind of pressures which we don’t know how these young adults struggle. Therefore, I believe the communication is an essential component of study the understanding of adolescences.

References:

“Employment and unemployment of recent high school graduates and dropouts,” Career Outlook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2015.