More Americans Are Asking If College Is Really Worth It

Epoch Times ^ | 11/03/2025 | Aaron Gifford

[nickcarraway]

Both sides usually don't do a cost/benefit analysis. They either say it's all good, or all bad. Certainly, it doesn't make sense for everyone. But also, do you think that there aren't a lot of people who go onto remunerative careers from getting degrees? That's foolish too. And, do people know that the majority of people who get advanced degrees in computer science/engineering/related areas are foreign born. And those degrees do lead to high-paying jobs. We don't have enough native born people going into them. Telling all kids that going to college is going to be a waste of time and money for all of them is foolish.

I do not like how higher education has become today. But I also don't think we can afford to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[irishjuggler]

Bill Clinton used to punctuate his campaign, convention and State of the Union speeches with the line, “I want an America where every 18 year old goes to college.” It was bulls—t then. And it is bulls—t now because:
(1) Not every 18 year old likes school or wants to be there.
(2) There are many, many jobs and trades for which college education is completely useless.
(3) Many college courses are utter nonsense with no intellectual content nor any redeeming value whatsoever.
(4) Many young adults are in college for social rather than academic or career-oriented reasons. There’s sort of an expectation among the middle classes and above that their progeny have to go to college just for the sake of status and keeping up appearances with friends and neighbors.
(5) College football and basketball have become the de facto minor leagues of the NFL and NBA. It’s a colossal waste that state and federal dollars from the taxpayers are being used to finance and subsidize pro sports’ training grounds.

In my opinion, we need to get back to more like how college was 100+ years ago, i.e., an intellectually oriented place that trained scholars, teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists and engineers. If you don’t fit into one of those categories, you’re probably better off doing something else.

[bray]

It is great if you are moving to a Communist or Islamic country.

[cpdiii]

If your degree path is in hard science, medical and some technology you will have a good job waiting. Mine were in Geology, and Pharmacy and a huge amount of chemistry. When I was in the last semester of both, the head hunters interviewed me by choice. They wanted my skills. It is that simple. If your degree path is difficult you will probably have a good job waiting.

[Texas Eagle]

No.

Next question.

[combat_boots]

For nearly 20 years, I have been very concerned about our young men.

Just today, I encouraged a young man who is changing things out to become an electrician.

[real saxophonist]

A Bachelor of Music is a BM. And that’s about what it’s worth.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Yes, it is worth it—BUT not at a high priced Ivy League school—State schools are much better and so are low coast. Community Colleges offer a good deal and many are free for the first year. AA degree can be useful in getting a job and in training for a four year school.

[alexander_busek]

I agree with the overall tenor of this article, but find portions of it sketchy:

Nathan Sharpe [...] enrolled in Mohawk Valley Community College’s computer science program after seeing an advertisement there touting career prospects for $60,000 a year.

$60k/y is roughly $28.80 per hr. That might be fine as an entry-level salary, but shouldn't be cited as the typical remuneration.

A decade later, Sharpe hadn’t received a single job offer in that field. Instead, he worked his way up from a payment processor to a business analyst at a local bank before taking a job in a copper product manufacturing plant, where he now works as a trained chemist.

Does that mean that he has since earned a degree (B.Sc., M.Sc.) in Chemistry?

I wouldn't refer to someone as a "trained" geologist, chemist, or nuclear physicist unless he was correspondingly degreed.

Regards,

[alexander_busek]

When I was in the last semester of both, the head hunters interviewed me by choice. They wanted my skills.

Ah, the 1950s! It was morning in America! What was the typical unemployment rate back then? 3%? How much was college tuition? $50 per semester?

Say, is ASARCO still in business? What about Bethlehem Steel?

Not to make light of your accomplishments, but the current situation is hardly comparable.

Regards,

[know.your.why]

Ask my sister who got a doctorate in Marine Biology and now some 20 years later she manages a lab testing medical Marijuana strains. So...No!

[metmom]

Depends on what the degree is in.

Advertising is not much better than *psychology* or English literature.

[metmom]

Very well said!!!!!

[Right Brother]

STEM or it’s worthless.

[thecodont]

(3) Many college courses are utter nonsense with no intellectual content nor any redeeming value whatsoever.

This.

[dagunk]

I didn’t go to college. I find out recently I cannot sit and listen to a lecturer. My mind wanders from boredom and extremely slow delivery of information. I read a hell of a lot faster and retain the information. I am a seriously poor candidate for your basic “college” education. So I never got one.

My last employer decided to move me to an engineering slot in one of their reorganizations, “sustainment engineering” for systems. I found out later why. I would get orders from my bosses or requests from systems to go help them fix problems that they and their “papered” engineers couldn’t figure out. The “read a hell of a lot” figures in here. I always figured out what the problem was, although it may take a day or four, and generated a fix. I would also generate a written “after action” report, describing the problem and what was done to fix the problem. If the assigned engineers were able to help , I sang their praises since they were able to:
1: Help after some education.
2; Generate or find a better solution than I generated after explaining what was going on. Yeah, a couple of them did. Wrote those guys lotsa credit in my reports when deserved.
(And my bosses loved it when I did those reports.)

Not knocking “papered engineers” here. Most have a specialized education in one discipline and have problems cross over into another field. A civil or mechanical engineer cannot talk to an electronic engineer - the slang and codewords are different. The smart ones catch on pretty quick, the stupid ones never do. (And I had a couple of stupids - got rid of them, but that’s another story...)

Here - the “read a hell of a lot” comes in. I’m just a kid with a GED. I have worked with some excellent engineers in their field who were really quick to digest what I telling them about the problems and why. Loved that. The stupid ones - How quick can I get these idjits away from me. Took a while sometimes.

When I retired my employer hired three degreed engineers to replace me.

[Mr. Blond]

Some people aren’t made for college. Some definitely are, and we need them there.

[IAGeezer912]

My cousin is 75 and has a worthless Phd degree in Psychology and hasn’t worked a day in his life. His wife was a pharmacist and divorced him. Last I heard he is feeding chickens and geese on some farm in Vermont.

[Degaston]

Bowl Movement output can be used an alternate energy source for power generation. A BM in Music doesn’t increase tin can revenues at the corner by the train station for the Saxaphone Player.