If you are trying to decide whether or not to head back to college, you might want to consider some alarming trends that are taking place in the workforce. Whereas earning a high school degree was once enough to provide you with a wide variety of employment opportunities, a growing number of employers are insisting upon hiring college graduates – even for jobs that don’t seem to require a college education are increasingly requiring a degree in order to even be considered for the position. As a result, many educators are now referring to college as the “new high school.” In other words, rather than requiring a minimum of a high school diploma to find gainful employment, you will now need to carry at least a college degree to get your foot in the door.

Even President Obama seems to have acknowledged the growing demand for college graduates when he made a speech last month in which he said “And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or training. This can be community college or a four-year school, vocational school or an apprenticeship.”

While the President didn’t come out and say that a higher education is necessary to be successful in today’s workforce, he made it clear that attending college is an important step for every American to take. Not only is it an important step for individuals, increasing the education level of the nation is also essential for making the country more competitive within an increasingly global economy.

The Lumina Foundation is also stressing the importance of a college education and how continuing one’s education beyond high school needs to be an ordinary expectation rather than an exception. Yet, when compared to other countries, the United States is falling woefully behind. “College attainment rates are rising in almost every industrialized or post-industrialized country in the world, except for the U.S.” the Lumina Foundation pointed out in a recent report.

While employers have been increasing their educational expectations over the past few years, the recession has helped to speed up this phenomenon. After all, with millions of people suddenly finding themselves without a job, employers are finding themselves able to choose from a much deeper pool of potential employees. As such, those with a college education are enjoying the greatest employment opportunities – even if their degree does not seem to relate to the job they are applying for.

So, if you are still on the fence about heading back to college, it may be time to finally swing your feet over and jump on board with the college of your choice. The reality is that college is the new high school and, if you fail to take your education to the next level, you may find yourself out of gainful employment for a very long time.