Today many young people participate in what is called the “little treat” culture, an economic trend defined by spending money on lavish things such as concierge pet services, sports betting, lattes, and avocado toast.
While this spending is often read as a sign of prosperity, it is a false economic indicator. It glosses over the fact that most can’t afford to buy a home. Young Americans face declining mobility, earning less relative to their parents than past generations.
The inclination to buy small but lavishly doesn’t reflect irresponsibility as much as the need to have some agency in an economy that has outpaced young people’s means. It is economic adaptation under constraint—rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and a volatile job market.
This behavior prioritizes spending money on something concrete (a $7 latte) versus something uncertain and much more expensive (a $75,000 college degree).
The trend is exacerbated by Gen Z’s skepticism regarding higher education. Between 2010 to 2021, undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. declined by 15%.
By 2041, it is expected to decline by another 13%. Young men, especially, are opting out of college in favor of immediate income and lower-risk pathways.
Colleges have a lot of adapting to do
Do new spending habits have a place in the higher ed market? Micro-credentialing comes to mind; it is the higher education analog to the “little treat”: lower risk, lower cost, quicker feedback, clearer ROI.
There has been a boom in micro-credentialling at American universities. Recent federal legislation created “Workforce Pell Grants,” allowing federal aid to cover short-term, career-focused training programs.
Workforce Pell Grants provide a major boost to skilled trades such as EMTs and mechanics, but what about more enduring skills? In an age in which AI and automation are increasing at exponential rates, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report calls for skills such as analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, and leadership.
These are most consistently developed through a broad-based liberal arts curriculum, typically found in a four-year degree.
Colleges have a lot of adapting to do at a time when college graduates are having a harder time finding a job than previous generations. To appeal to skeptics, universities must provide accessible onramps, show early outcomes, and build in universal experiential learning.
Many institutions are adapting to the challenges. At my own university, we are responding in several practical ways.
Southeastern Louisiana University’s “Real-World Ready” initiative, adopted during its previous accreditation cycle, affirms workforce relevance. Under this initiative, every degree program incorporates at least one experiential learning component such as internships, service learning, undergraduate research, field experiences, civic engagement, study abroad/away, apprenticeships, or hands-on project work.
Showing early, visible outcomes is critical for prospective students. At Southeastern, service learning, field experiences, and internship programs across majors shorten the distance between learning and employability.
Southeastern’s Office of Career Services delivers broad-based career expos for 150-plus employers, available to students from all majors, as well as specialty events for healthcare, tech, business, and law enforcement. Via a robust credit-by-examination policy, Southeastern ensures that entering students may apply relevant prior learning to their transcript.
Accessible pathways and flexible credentials
Universities must reduce perceived financial risk and lower the threshold for educational engagement. Through Southeastern Online, the university offers a number of 100% online and hybrid degree programs, as well as 100% online certificate programs.
Through its Google Learning Program, Southeastern offers a suite of Google professional certificates in high-demand fields such as IT support, data analytics, cybersecurity, and project management. Additionally, the program provides access to various “guided projects” designed to teach specific, job-ready skills like using Figma, Canva, and Wrike in under two hours.
In partnership with the Louisiana Board of Regents, Southeastern has begun implementing Parchment digital badges to verify and recognize skills across a wide range of areas.
The “little treat” culture is not a rejection of higher education—it is a reflection of risk aversion. Universities that want to regain students’ trust must respond with accessible pathways, flexible credentials and early, visible outcomes.
When students see that higher education delivers real value along the way—not just at the end—the larger investment begins to feel possible again.
