Jared had always been a mechanic, the kind of guy who could fix anything with a wrench and some duct tape. He'd spent the last decade building his small but steady business, a workshop tucked away in a neighborhood that had started to lose its charm. Cars, trucks, motorcycles—he fixed them all. The work wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills and kept food on the table for his wife and two kids.

These days, however, things felt different. The economy was shifting, and the jobs in the middle—like his—were slipping away. Every day, Jared saw more and more shiny electric vehicles on the road, and fewer of the old trucks that used to line his garage. It wasn’t that his skills were outdated—far from it—but the world was changing faster than he could keep up.

A few weeks ago, a big dealership offered him a contract to become a certified technician for their new electric vehicle line, but the catch was a certification course that cost thousands of dollars. He didn’t have that kind of money, not with the bills mounting and his kids needing new clothes for school. But if he didn’t take the leap, he feared his business would dry up.

Across town, Lily stood at the entrance of a shiny glass building, adjusting her suit jacket. She had spent years in a top-tier university, earning a degree in data science, and now, at 26, she had landed her dream job at one of the leading tech firms. Her office was sleek, modern, filled with glass walls and bustling with young professionals like herself.

Lily had always been one of the lucky ones—top-tier education, internships that led to full-time offers, and a network that opened doors she never thought possible. She loved the challenge of her job, the constant problem-solving, the ever-evolving tech landscape. But even as she navigated this world of high wages and high expectations, she couldn’t ignore the anxiety creeping in about the world outside her glass walls.

Her younger brother, Mark, had dropped out of college last year. He couldn’t keep up with the tuition and the constant pressure to perform. He’d ended up in a low-wage job at a warehouse, stacking boxes and driving forklifts. The kind of job that paid just enough to survive, but nothing more.

Lily had tried to help—paying for his first semester of college, giving him advice about career paths—but it wasn’t enough. Mark was one of the millions stuck in the middle, just like Jared. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there were fewer and fewer jobs that paid a decent living in between her tech company and Mark’s warehouse.

Jared flipped through a stack of repair manuals, trying to find a part number for a customer’s truck. The work wasn’t satisfying anymore, not the way it used to be. He’d kept his shop open because it was all he knew, but now it felt like he was fighting a losing battle. Every day, there were fewer cars to repair, fewer customers coming through the door. He knew he couldn’t stay here forever.

One evening, after a long shift, he met with his old friend Paul, who had made a name for himself in real estate. They sat over beers, talking about the future. Paul, who had moved on to bigger things, seemed oblivious to the weight Jared carried.

“You could always get into something else, man,” Paul said, waving his hand dismissively. “Real estate’s booming. You should think about buying up some property. Maybe start small, fix it up, sell it.”

Jared laughed bitterly. “I don’t have the cash to buy anything, Paul. I’m just trying to keep the shop open.”

Paul’s expression softened, but there was nothing he could say. The world was moving forward, and Jared felt himself falling behind. The jobs in the middle—manual labor, service industry, the small businesses—were disappearing, replaced by a rising tide of highly skilled positions at the top and low-wage, low-skill jobs at the bottom.

Back at Lily’s office, the pressure of her job felt relentless. She had been promoted quickly, but now she was finding that the expectations only grew. Her manager wanted more, and her team needed results, fast. Sometimes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the opportunities for people like her—the ones who had the right connections and the right education—were becoming more pronounced, while the opportunities for everyone else were shrinking.

She thought about Mark again. What could she do to help him? What was left for people who didn’t have the education, the networks, the access to high-paying opportunities? She had tried to help him get into coding boot camps, but the costs were prohibitive, and the programs were too short for someone who needed years of training.

As Jared locked up his shop that night, he stared at the empty street in front of him. He knew the world was changing, but he wasn’t sure where he fit in it anymore. The future seemed to have a place for people like Lily—people with the right skills and the right connections. But for him? For people like him? The middle ground was disappearing.

Lily sat at her desk, her fingers hovering over her keyboard, uncertain. The world of high-paying tech jobs seemed solid, but she knew that outside of that world, the landscape was becoming more fractured. Mark, Jared—they were part of a growing divide. She couldn’t solve it alone, but she wondered how long it would take before even the top jobs couldn’t keep up with the polarization of the labor market.

The divide between the top and the bottom was widening, and neither Lily nor Jared was sure they could find a way to bridge it.