Not defending anyone, but this is partly the result of everyone in my generation being told "go to college so you can get a (better) job" which of course morphs into "go to college and you'll get a (well paying) job".

And let's be honest. Every school offering professional degrees is pretty much advertising, implying, and pushing the idea that if you come to this school, you will get a degree that will get you a well paying job. My school (Waterloo) does this with their engineering program (which I am enrolled in), and so does nearly every other 'top tier' engineering, law, and medical program. Granted, none of them outright say it, or promise it, but it's so heavily implied, that you have to cut our generation a bit of slack. Not that it completely excuses us.

I'm pretty skeptical of all advertising now. I learned that in college not from it failing to prepare me for work, but because that was explicitly taught in classes. If people need defenses from the colleges now then perhaps that needs to be taught in high school. I'm willing to accept that that skepticism is not a "natural skill" but then it needs to be taught to people before they can be exploited in ways that will ruin the rest of their life. Of course there's a counter incentive in that the whole consumer economy relies on a lack of that skill.

Edit: These sorts of lessons would best be taught by parents but right now many seem to have lost the same skills through marketing to their belief that their child is the best ever and that they have to do everything to make sure their child has all the advantages possible.