Does college turn ordinary people into smart people, or do smart people attend college?
Perhaps a little of both, but statistics cited by schools are misleading because correlation doesn't equal causation. Are they also citing the average student loan debt upon graduation when they are advertising for customers?
I'm not saying college is bad, I'm saying it's inefficient, needlessly expensive, and should only be pursued if a career path requires it, or the alternative is doing nothing at all.
My anecdote is that my friend that is a doctor is paying interest only on his house while he pays down his $200k in debt, along with his pharmacist wife's student loan debt. Meanwhile I'm purchasing my 3rd property, give somewhere around 22% gross in charity, and have cash to spare... earned mostly on a $40k annual income for the first 14 years of full time employment.
I'm very fortunate (entirely fortunate), but it shows that college isn't the best choice for everyone.
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I must confess, when I attended Eureka College -- and let me stop here and say hello to my brother TEEK's -- I was involved with so many activities that I didn't always give my studies the time I should have. Even now, I sometimes wonder how far I might have gone had I fully applied myself
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- President Ronald Regan
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Originally Posted by freebeard
I'm glad I bought and paid for my college education while Steve Jobs wasn't getting his.  |
This isn't a veiled comment about your age, but my grandfather would stress to me the importance of college continuously. He was from a different era where his $400/yr law degree from U of O(regon) made him financially set for the rest of his life.
The times changed, and the degree doesn't cost four hundred bucks a year anymore, and doesn't secure a position among the elietely educated. Employers are increasingly looking for a demonstration of knowledge and relevant experience, with a college degree perhaps being a requirement for consideration at best, or background noise at least.