When I graduated from high school back in the 1960s, you could actually get a pretty good job with only a high school diploma. But not any more. I had a couple of jobs before I went into the Army. I got paid decent for those days. I think the old required by the government was $1.69 an hour back then, but my first boss hired me for $2.00 an hour!!!! Big buck for an 18 year old. I drove a school bus my senior years in high school. Back in those days, high school seniors drove most school busses. I made a whooping $95.00 per month to drive a bus with 60-70 screaming kids on it every day. I thought I was rich. Back then you thought IF I could get a job making $100 a week, I would be rich!!! That was the way it was back then. In the so called "good ole days!!!"
When I graduated from high school back in the 1960s, you could actually get a pretty good job with only a high school diploma. But not any more.
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Back in the good ole days when people graduated from high school they actually knew a thing or two and were well prepared for working entry level or apprentice type jobs. Grads were functionally literate, especially those on an academic track.
Nowadays, the modern high school graduate can barely read, write or do basic math. I taught at the college level for a while and saw this first hand. Today’s high schools are just factories that put children on conveyor belts and push them out the door. Few are prepared for real world jobs that require skills.