Is College Worth It?
Because of a blog post made a long while ago called “Is college necessary?” a lot of people write to me asking a similar but better question “Is college worth it?” Let me answer that question in a nuanced way.
I think education is a virtue. I think it is the swiss army pocket knife of human existence. You learn to use your brain and you can accomplish anything. You can be anything. You can overcome anything (especially disappointment at the hands of others).
Having said that, I think from an economic perspective (since that’s why most people go to college) the value of a college education is going down. Not only is there strong inflationary pressure on the value of a degree (more and more people have them, so they don’t differentiate job candidates like they used to) but the cost of of a college education has skyrocketed due to excess student loan supply.
Personally I think that both of these negative factors should be taken into consideration by aspiring students. And now more than ever the best thing you can do is look for the best cost/benefit ratio. The benefit of a degree is lower than ever. The costs are higher than ever. And the value of a degree is lower than ever. So if you can find a good education for an affordable cost, then yes I think you college is worth it.
On the other hand, with the Internet and its vasts amount of information and video, I strongly believe that a disciplined and persistent person can learn a trade and make a sizeable income without a college education. The old adage of “know thyself” applies now more than ever.
Share your thoughts!!!