Like it or not the colleges do still have knowledge that people need, so it’s not like you can just say a pox on all their houses and hit the library. My problem is that between work, school, family, there’s pretty much no time to hit the library or for side projects. The biggest benefit is the professors themselves, fellow students, and the textbooks. I’ll be honest and say that the “too socially desirable to fail” athletes and others that I got stuck with in group projects seem very unlikely to fall into the asset category later. They just take your work and move on without a backward glance, like they are entitled to it.
Actually pretty much all the knowledge colleges have can be found in libraries.
What they have and many need is a credential for a particular professional field.