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Notes -
Definitely a case of elite underproduction at that point in history and into the 1980s, at least.
People also sometimes overlook the social-signaling aspect of a degree; it would infer that someone was "a college man," who fits into an upper middle class environment and can interact comfortably with clients. This became something different a bit later: "it doesn't matter what you major in; you just need to graduate," and "a degree demonstrates that you can finish something," but the first aspect still (sort of) exists, depending on the degree/person.
I have seen people qualified on paper for things like account management positions in tech hit a wall in interviews and promotions because they're rough around the edges socially.
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