Is it really that astonishing, given that kids are all but pushed through 'til they get "their" BA? Degrees are used as a quick proxy for minimum competency, right? Well, if our highschools act as little more than babysitting systems that push kids through no matter what (qualification to say this: I date a public highschool teacher in Maryland, which is supposedly the best public school system in the country. Consequently, I see it first-hand.), HS diplomas will be rendered irrelevant.

This, in turn, means that college degrees become the base level qualification required for a showing of minimum competency. Compare the ability of a recent college graduate to secure employment with that of a high school graduate in the 1970s, and I'd bet they're not far off...