Is College Worth It?

[@steve-real]

These kid’s graduate with $100-125,000 bill in loans and you wonder why parents aren’t so enthusiastic to send them into that? Forget the cultural argument. It’s just not worth it. Great piece. I am a college graduate. All jobs are low paying jobs even for engineers and lawyers. The shift of money to the 1 percent is extraordinary difficult for anyone in America to overcome.

[@kheldaryt]

what did you think of their conclusion, it didn't seem to make any sense.

[@steve-real]

I thought it offered nothing. Generalities with no real solutions to this disaster for the middle class. I am so disappointed in American society to praise the rich at the expense of the rest of us.

[@jacobpate213]

If you go to a private college, maybe. I went to a state school as an in-state student and graduated with about $20k in loans. Still a bunch, but nowhere near $100k. Having said that, it’s *still* too much money. Colleges should be much more affordable than they are currently, and the loan and repayment systems should be more navigable and understandable. I have a relatively high-paying job for an entry level graduate and I’ll still be paying my $20k in loans till about 2040

[@ericbray4286]

Colleges used to spend the majority of their budgets on classroom instruction, now the biggest line item is administration. They also make it more difficult for some students to graduate by not offering required classes at scale, so people may have to wait months to have that class offered again with admin being indifferent to your struggles.

[@TheWilliamHoganExperience]

Yup. I saw this problem at Santa Monica college, where I taught architecture and design for 15 years. Administrative staff and salary bloat at the expense of instruction. Student fees were raised to support this bloat. At a community college. Imagine what's happened at private colleges. I quit teaching in 2010 because I no longer believed college was helping my students.

[@ShadowGhost-n8d]

Hmmmmm. Interesting

[@janicepedroli7403]

Yes. I worked full time and carried 15 units a semester. The lessons you learn about other people who want good grades as well as what you learn in the class room are invaluable.

[@littleblueplanet222]

this is important. I graduated with an engineering degree during covid with a great GPA, research, and it took nearly a year to even find a job. I’m overworked and underpaid severely. If this is the state of science, I can’t imagine how it is for the humanities.

[@drake.707]

College is worth it if you can afford it and have a goal. However, a lot of us just went to college because it's what we thought we were supposed to do. In my experience for the most part college is about having fun. I can't help disagree with going to college to have fun because the reality is the rest of your life you're going to be working and working for the most part is not fun. So if you can get the fun out of your system and be a drone for the rest of your life College was definitely worth it.

[@keith819]

Almost no one should go directly to a 4 year. Go to a community college, figure out what you want to do first

[@kdsmogg]

Those jobs he mentioned pay more than 31k now in rural america

[@juliannevoss5964]

Amazing this discussion focused on the consumer response to being grifted and has very little analysis on the banking industry, higher ed industry or the reasons why the cost of college has exponentially grown. Pretty disappointing conversation. Take away is you either study STEM or look forward to a life of debt peonage or poverty. Nice

[@Jeffhowardmeade]

So I'm confused here. For younger adults (born in 80s, 90s), a college degree does not result in improved prosperity. Yet there aren't a lot of good paying skilled trade jobs. What are non college grads 25-45 doing that they are making as much as their degree-holding peers?

[@jacobpate213]

The 30-45 year demographic is likely skewing the results for the whole. Those are probably your management-level positions. Whether restaurant managers or mechanic managers etc, but people who have worked their way up. These people may not have more *money* than their college graduate peers, but because they likely have less debt, they have more *wealth*

[@andrewflanders262]

To be honest, it just makes more sense to put off college until you know what your passion is, then take out the crazy loan. If you never develop a passion, you'll never need college.

[@kenhunt5153]

Yes. I could barely hang a picture out of college. But with KZbin I have put on a roof, installed windows and bathroom tile. Go to a State school. As a parent start a 529 Program. Live in a lower cost midsized city. Start at a community college and enroll in a trades program. Don't fall in love with the cool schools or out of state schools.

[@yaakovshtern3135]

How can you make college government funded if that forces everyone to pay for college (by way of paying taxes to support government funding) when not everyone wants to go to college for example someone wants an apprenticeship or to start a business or any other profession that doesn't require college. If you want to go to college you have to take on the responsibility of a student loan just as someone who wants to start a business has to take on their responsibility of the initial investment. If that risk deters you from going to college then maybe you should try something else.

[@robertmonical9462]

Another frustrating podcast with key unasked questions. How much of the shortfall in BA's can be addressed by the community college system? How much of the "technical shortfall" can be addressed by that same system? How many of those opting out are going to community college? The federal workforce can focus on 2 year graduates and help them complete their degrees once employed. Business can do the same. I think much of the problem is solved by community colleges. Kids can stay at home another two years. For this reason, I think this is a state "problem" (or rather an opportunity?). As a late life federal employee, I can attest that many of the semi-technical jobs in my division do not require a BA even though it is a requirement. IMHO, a BA frequently serves as a filter, not a qualification.

[@Edo9River]

But the students need to network with a community. Isolated individuals chances are much greater at risk. The success of College is particularly Based on networking.

[@crazedoutlook]

The world needs less plumbers and more liberal arts majors. Got it.

[@NotANameist]

If college isn’t paying off for individuals, why subsidize it with the entire tax base? How will forced public funding help rein in the growing inefficiencies of higher education? Rather it will just make the burden invisible.

[@ZinSchartz-tl9kd]

In my country, college students all English learning less my country compare USA compare very lower but learning history main subject for political views my interest Peace for World.

[@Edo9River]

So how come student loan debt relief is regularly defeated?

[@beemo9]

A smarter plan is to defer repayment at 0% interest until people can afford to repay their debt.

[@dr_flunks]

who are the rich? how much can i work hard and live below my means before i become evil? serious question.

[@M1911jln]

Is it really so hard to figure out that some degrees are very useful and some are not? If you spend $250k to get a degree in women’s studies, then don’t complain when you can only find a job as a barista. On the other hand, if you get a degree n computer science at a decent school, then you will do quite well. So do what we all did when I went to college in the late 1970s: spend a little time to investigate the job prospects for different college majors.

[@DaucusKarota]

Probably if you graduated. If you don't get the degree and walk away with debt, then Probably nots.

[@Sashas594]

Easiness to take out student loans drives college tuition. Without such credit where students have to pay cash for college most of the US colleges would go bankrupt and tuition would decrease 90%.

[@Ryanrobi]

He makes it seem like you actually learn necessary skills in college makes me think he didn't go to college lol talk to anyone like myself who went to college you learn absolutely nothing important everything I've learned that's helped me in my career is self-taught or learned on the job. I listen to about 40 audiobooks a year while I work That's how you get paid to get educated. Many of my friends who I went to college with went on to Cornell Like I planned to do while they had a lot of fun there and the social environment was awesome they said they would have not gone if they had to pay for it. Their parents all paid for it so it was free to them. I got the same kind of job they have without a master's degree from Cornell. What matters in a career are not the inputs I eat your education what matters are your outputs how much value can you create for other human beings That's all you need to think about in a career nothing else matters. That is something I did not learn in college lol

[@Ryanrobi]

High school is not free It's actually very expensive.. our high schools are disaster in all areas besides the wealthy suburbs and some Midwestern areas. It almost indefinitely make it worse if you don't have personal responsibility with the cost of one's education, making it free to the user would drastically increase the demand and then you would have a supply constraint This is just basic economics. Education in schooling are very different things you can learn everything you need without going to a college.

[@Edo9River]

Ivy League applications have increased steadily over the past 10 years.

[@AlexHop1]

Thank you.

[@jeremy____5747]

Interesting that this basically confirms everyone's intuition: Don't major in the humanities or social sciences.

[@Edo9River]

Praise God for ChatGPT

[@ShadowGhost-n8d]

Hmmmmm. Interesting

[@ZinSchartz-tl9kd]

Great President Remark for Great Wall for Security for People First.Rem.

[@ZinSchartz-tl9kd]

1:03 For world Peace way Refer 44President,45President&World President Today World Crisis U..turn ..Rem U Thant Cuba Crisis how to solve?REM for Pray World .