Paying for Education

I noticed in today's discussion that we tried to blame the gap between the rich and the poor on education, and although I agree with that being a major factor I think we also missed discussing some other big topics that could play affect. For instance, someone brought up about how in many of our parent's times that a college education wasn't as expensive and not everyone received one. Although some people might not have received one because they did not have the money for it, there were still viable options for them to make the same amount of money as a college graduate. The industrial realm of jobs was a lot more popular back in their time, and having a father who has worked in a factory his whole life, I can say that his hard work and working overtime has allowed him to live at the same standard as those that have a college education. My mother may make a little more, due to her having a masters, but as for what she would be making if she only had her bachelors degree, she would virtually be making the same amount that my father makes within a given year. I feel that this society is beginning to put more emphasis on the importance of education only because many factories are finding their way to being moved overseas, or they have closed in general. Could this change in society and job opportunities be another reason for the wealth gap?