Unemployment in the haiku industry has not been overcome.
Written by Robert Scucci | Updated
Have you ever wondered what happens in a college comedy? Animal House (1978). Road Trip (2000). Van Wilder (2002). The list goes on and on, but then falls hard in the middle of the problems. As we approached the 2010s, we stopped getting college party movies, and instead got a wave of movies like Butterfly (2009) and its sequel, which is about older adults behaving like college kids in places like Las Vegas. So what happened? The answer is simple. The illusion of a carefree college life was shattered during the 2008 recession, and never recovered.
Starting with Millennials, the idea that college automatically improves your adult life began to crumble. Unless you're in a hyper-specialized field that requires formal education, most people on the wrong side of their 30s will tell you the same thing. Workers in their field of study, earning far less than a single full-time job, have had to rely on gig work to make up the gap, and all are thinking some sort of, “I could do this without being buried in debt.”
The Top Gun Parallel
Before going on about why college comedy disappeared, it's useful to look at a genre that still serves as a measuring stick: military porn.
The same movies Top shot (1986), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), Heroic Action (2012), and Lone Survivor (2013) all share something in common. They glorify military life. Yes, they show the horrors of war, but they are organized around the hero's journey. Even if you sign up knowing that your life is on the line, there is still a clear cut for people who are built for that lifestyle.
You can train in fields such as IT or transport during your service and switch to a more stable job later. There were even reports of representatives of the US Navy appearing Top shot: Maverick (2022) test, which coincides with an increase in rental interest related to lifestyle film exposure.
Here is the difference. Compared to crude college comedy, the movies are similar Top shot they don't really sell lies. Most people understand the dangers of military service. But the infrastructure for sale is real. If you complete your service honorably, there is a clear path forward. You can stay within the system or enter the private sector with interpretive knowledge.
You can't say the same about feminist studies and basket weaving degrees from a prestigious private university. The last time I checked, unemployment in the haiku industry has yet to be overcome.
Lies for Sale
Melanie Hanson's “Average Cost of College & Tuition,” published in February 2026, breaks down tuition at all public and private universities, both in-state and out-of-state. The takeaway is straightforward. Many graduates leave a bachelor's program with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and in some cases more depending on the school and living situation.
That means kids who can't legally rent a car, drink alcohol, get a tattoo, or buy a lottery ticket are encouraged to take out long-term loans and put their lives on hold for four years. The opportunity costs alone “could end up costing more than $500,000.”
Most people my age were part of the last wave of kids who were told that a degree guaranteed a better life. We were told that it didn't matter what we studied, as long as we got a degree. We were told that without it, we would always be stuck in menial, low-paying service jobs, as if honest hard work in any industry isn't just that: honest, hard work. Now, in 2026, I've lost count of how many people I know with advanced degrees who are bartending because it pays more than their chosen field of study.
I can't speak for everyone, but from kindergarten through 12th grade, the messages were constant. We all remember the authority figure pointing to a school janitor or someone in a hard hat and saying, “If you're not going to college, this might be you.” Meanwhile, many of the hardworking workers I know who skipped college and went straight into the workforce or the military are now in a position to retire early or take on rotating jobs without complete financial collapse.
And we all remember the Education Connection commercials. The waiter sings about how a degree can lead to more money (that's a rhyme). We also remember decades of college comics selling the same fantasy. Party for four years, then move on to a stable white-collar life.
Truth, and the Fall of Genre
In the early 2000s, most of us knew that college wasn't all about toga parties and running from the manager after filling the pool with instant mashed potatoes. What we believe is that if we work early, we can be free later.
Even then, college comedies still depend on happy endings. Road Trip it is compatible with everyone's evolving lives. Accepted (2006) concludes with personal growth and forward momentum. The illusion was still there, it just softened. Expectations had changed, and the tone reflected that.
Then the recession started in 2008.
Speaking from experience, the economy collapsed when I decided to pass matric as a Junior. I doubled up and finished my degree. I lived at home, worked full time, and went back to the state university. I still had over R80 000 in debt, payments starting before my diploma arrived in the mail.
Six months after graduation, I was paying $700 a month and making $12.50 an hour flipping burgers.
This situation was no different for me, and it was as if something new was about to begin. I finally got a corporate job, but it required a three-hour round trip that cost about $10,000 a year in gas and maintenance. The employee paid $30,000, before tax. This was considered by many to be a lucrative, post-grad, white-collar job. Meanwhile, my bartending friends were making more money, had nice things, and had no debt. They could live alone.
Since then, the college comedy didn't disappear overnight. It has changed. The behavior is still there, but changed for older characters. Neighbors (2014) technically college is close, but the frat house is framed as a nuisance. The main character does not desire that lifestyle. It disgusts him.
Movies are the same The package (2018) picked up some of the slack, but the setting changed. The pranks take place at home during spring break for a group of college-bound teenagers, not on campus. Everyone still lives with their parents. It feels like Hollywood has realized that the traditional college fairy tale isn't coming the same way anymore, even if some of the jokes from those movies still do.
When the audience stops believing in the formula, the brand has to adapt.
Lower Your Expectations, And You'll Never Be Disappointed
So is college right for you? It is possible. That is a personal decision that you should consider for yourself.
As a parent of two children under the age of eight, I think about this all the time. I don't want to set them up for failure or lock them into decades of mortgage payments that limit their options for living a meaningful life. There are other ways. Starting a business. Taking risk in startups. Learning to trade.
Right now, I'm focused on gig work because most job listings, according to LinkedIn, require a Master's degree for entry-level roles, paid what my first corporate job paid 16 years ago, doesn't offer benefits, and still expects you to show up on site and play dressup. I have told employers that if I end up working for them, it will set me back, while at the same time destroying my work/life balance. In many words, they agree with me.
Imagine spending eight years in higher education just to get there.
Meanwhile, the films are similar Van Wilder stop feeling desperate and start feeling like a joke, when something like it Top shot suddenly it seems like a very honest voice.
