&gt;  If anything, more applicants have more qualifications in terms of degrees than ever before, right?<p>Yep, and that&#x27;s the problem. College has been dumbed down over the past few decades, to accommodate the push (at least here in the US) for everyone to go to college after high school. There are more people with degrees, but on average they&#x27;re less capable than the fresh graduates of 30 years ago. People today are getting bachelors degrees in animation, FFS.