I think that, if you pick a major or field that will lead to a job, then yes, college is “worth it”.
But getting a degree in Ancient Mayan Gender Studies or Globalization probably won’t lead to a job. Psychology can get you into sales, statistics into management, accounting into, well, accounting. Math and science is good, as are engineering fields.
Specific medical areas are good, too.
Someone has to see a profit in you- you can make money for them, or why hire you? Then too you can learn skills to start and run your own business.
it depends what the major is, is it a leader in the hard majors, and is the cost/degree value from that university worth what they are asking?
I think they are asking the wrong question. The question should be are Ivy League and other Elite college educations worth it? You can still get a reasonable and decent education through a Jr. College and State College combo while lilving at home.
The very reason that so many articles are suddenly questioning the cost (was it any more reasonable last year, or 10-15 years ago?) will cut a whole generation of kids away from decent paying jobs. Indeed, they won’t even get through the first round of the interview process once they answer “No” to the question of higher education.
I think our kids would be ill served to have wasted their youth by not going to school. But, they could manage their resources more intelligently by taking advantage of the Jr. College system for the 1st 2 years. After all, your degree bears the name of the LAST college you attended.
bkmk