Autumn is the season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and college choices. In the UK and US teenagers have begun agonising over which courses to go for. Hard application deadlines typically fall in January, February or before.
Broad-brush career choice plays a part in degree choice. Decision-making this year comes with an added dash of uncertainty, due to artificial intelligence. Computers can now assemble data, write text and crunch numbers to the same general level of incompetence as we humans.
The result is high anxiety about the potential obsolescence of some jobs and a knock to the earnings of graduates who are wrong footed. What advice should parents now give their kids about paybacks on university courses? Costs are steep in the US. They are lower in the UK, though from next year fees will be linked to inflation.