Skip to content
The college dream has failed episode artwork

May 15, 2026 48 min

The college dream has failed

from The Gray Area with Sean Illing Hosted by Vox

College was supposed to be a ticket to a better life. A degree meant a good job, a decent salary, and a brighter future. That promise is breaking down. For many graduates, a college degree no longer guarantees economic security or upward mobility. In today’s episode, guest host Miles Bryan talks with reporter and author Noam Scheiber about his new book, Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, which argues that the economic prospects for college graduates have steadily eroded since the mid-2000s. The result is scrambling our politics. Miles and Noam discuss why college graduates are increasingly drawn to socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani, why they’ve become some of the strongest supporters of organized labor, and how economic frustration among educated workers could transform the American political landscape. Host: Miles Bryan, Vox reporter and senior producer Guest: Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter and author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working ClassWe would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

The college dream has failed

0:00 48:17

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of The Gray Area with Sean Illing?

This episode is 48 minutes long.

When was this The Gray Area with Sean Illing episode published?

This episode was published on May 15, 2026.

Can I download this The Gray Area with Sean Illing episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.