The Cost of Not Going to College
There is a recent trend among certain prominent individuals to discourage young people from attending college. Politicians with Ivy League Educations who have children attending Ivy League schools via legacy admissions shamelessly stand in front of the cameras and tell the rest of us to send our kids to trade school or have them go join the military. And, if we absolutely have to send them to school, whatever we do, we should not let them study the humanities. It's STEM only for today's boys and girls.
First the facts - attending college is good for you in very measurable ways.
College graduates live an average of eight years longer than people who only graduated high school
Life expectancy gap in America widens depending on college education
Lifetime earnings are dramatically higher for college graduates. The gap starts in your 20s and increases exponentially over your lifetime.
Is college worth it? Yes, according to this Fed data
Why do politicians discourage people from going to college?
Why do so many Republicans hate college? - The Washington Post
Why Politicians Don’t Want Students to Think
Is it working? Are fewer people attending
OK, we've established why it's good for people, but why has the cost of education increased at a greater rate than inflation in general?
Inflation affects the price of everything—including a college education
I'm a high school student who wants to ignore all that stuff and skip college. Help me convince my parents.
51 Successful People Who Didn't Go to or Finish College
Full disclosure - I did not attend college, but even I know what that's cost me since 1983.
Enjoyed it? Please upvote 👇
Conflicted because on the one hand it's measurably better re: income, but the crushing debt that is assumed is problematic. And given the anti-college crowd isn't one I'd want to stand anywhere near, I've got issues. Higher education is key, but we need to find better ways to pay for it.