I think that’s a contributing factor, but I would also point to the increased financial stress from the explosion in college costs. Sixty years ago when my dad was paying his way through the local public college with a part-time job at a building supply company, there wasn’t as much financial pressure after graduation; of course you needed to support yourself, but if it took a few years to figure out a career and get on a long-term path (which it did for him), it wasn’t the end of the world because you likely had no educational debt. Now, a B+ student like him from a working-class family would probably be looking at high-five-figure, and maybe even six-figure, debt to finance four years at that school, so there’s little time to “figure it out” - you need to be able to service that debt six months from graduation, and for many years to come.
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