I am sorry you are bringing up egos and personal points. I am not defending my ego, and in fact I am one bringing up ideas that could replace much of traditional college. Perhaps you are the one trying to defend a personal choice. Certainly different choices work for different people. I certainly dont regret going for a PhD, for example, but I wouldnt recommend it to most people.
You are simply saying things that are untrue. It is simply untrue that you can bust into most professional fields without a college degree, and I mentioned the many fields where this applies.
In my case, I was working minimum wage prior to degree, then got engineering job based on my BSEE and MS CS at age 21. There was no way I’d have gotten that salary or job at that age without the degree. It takes years of experience to build a track record enough to match the MS credential.
And for doctors, lawyers, PEs, and CPAs, the degree is vital to the professional degree credential.
Yes, you COULD manage to educate yourself and become self-made professional success. But do most 18 years olds have that wherewithal? Many don’t. Most 18 year olds need a bit more maturing to figure out what they want in life, and it doesnt hurt to have them learning all they can while they do it. The one exception is business. I will be telling my own kids to think about using $100,000 to start a business at 18 instead of going to college. But I don’t think they’ll take me up on the offer.
“Self-employed, doing what I love, supporting myself, having a fabulous time in jeans and a tee shirt.” That sounds great. But you can also be an engineer in high-tech and wear those outfits.
BTW, did you open a new grill? :-)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2060949/posts
“I will be telling my own kids to think about using $100,000 to start a business at 18 instead of going to college.”
I support this and other “voucher” proposals. Alternatively, if the youth can finish college in 3 years instead of 4 by scoring well on Advanced Placement exams in high school, he can use the $25 K to start a business, or to pay for the 1st year of an MBA a few years later. Many kids do not fully take advantage of what their high schools have to offer. I was advanced in math and took AP Calculus in 10th grade, alongside seniors. Especially after they got college admissions letters, many of them did not do their best, thinking they would just repeat the course in college.