What's next for high school grads? Fewer choose college, more are 'working toward a career goal'

College and trade-school enrollment -- is down for recent high school graduates, reports a new YouScience survey. Most aren't confident about their post-graduation plans and wish they'd spent more time working and discussing career options in high school, writes Elizabeth Heubeck in Education Week.

The four-year college pathway is "losing momentum" steadily, the survey shows. Thirty-five percent of the Class of 2024 enrolled in a four-year college, compared to 55 percent in the Class of 2019, the survey reports.

College-going students "often struggle to find clear direction," according to YouScience. They have trouble deciding on a major and those who do often switch majors, which means "more time in school, more debt and greater uncertainty."

Students are shifting toward "more practical, skill-based pathways." Twenty-eight percent said they were "working toward a career goal," compared to 13 percent in 2019, and the number who were just "working to get by" dropped from 16 percent in 2019 to 6 percent.

It was a small sample, writes Heubeck, but it tracks U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics trends, which show a decline in four-year college enrollment.

Of course, many high school graduates enroll in community college while working part-time. Most don't complete a degree or vocational certificate -- they lack academic skills and sense of direction -- but it is a low-debt option.

Teenagers are less likely to work after school or in the summer than previous generation, but that trend is starting to reverse, the BLS reports. However, automation and higher minimum wages are limiting work opportunities for young people.