Only a quarter of Americans have a college degree. What if that proportion was flipped … how different would things be if 3 out of 4 people had graduated college?

Vastly different.

In his speech to a joint session of congress last night, President Obama said that 75% of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States now require at least a high school diploma, and usually more.

“We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation,” he said, and then outlined his vision for reforms of the education system. But, he continued, government reform will not be enough on its own.

“It is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.”