The paper argues that the recent changes within the Brazilian higher education system, especially regarding the increase in the number of young workers, transfrom Youth into an essential category in the present studies of this educational level, highlighting de centrality of Work. Taking a former study that focuses on low income youth in the city of Sao Paulo and their difficulties and expectations to access the university level, the article also discusses the relevance and limits of the recent boom, pointing to a necessary in depth analysis of the origins, experiences and projects of this new generation, that regards the access to the university as an essential goal of their lives.
Higher education; Work; Youth