It seems like it coincided with differences in attitude about education. I’ve forgotten the exact stats, but in decades past college students overwhelming said the purpose of college was to develop a philosophy of life whereas now the predominant answer is to find a good job.
I think this is the wrong way to characterize this change. What changed isn't the attitudes of individual students, but rather the demographics of the students themselves. In the ages past most people did not go to college, and most jobs did not require a degree, so only those who could afford to (upper class) went, and for those people, getting a job simply isn't that big of a concern.
You’re right, but I was making a statement about society more than individual students. It’s been a slow march. The demographic shift can be traced all the way back to the Morrill Act which started the wheels in motion for college to become a vocational endeavor rather than a cultural one.
I do feel that a large swath of jobs don't really need the college degree they seem to require. That sort of college-as-a-credential business model seems like a self-licking ice cream cone.