Is The Cost of College Worth Debt?

[Samson]

so you like the smell of other peoples shit?

Can you tell the difference?

 

[topspin]

if you don't get a crap degree loans should be irrelevant.
2.5MM over a career crushes loans, as stated before college is not for everyone.
If your searching for an easy major, you prob shouldn't finance it.

 

[IanC]

Thats what High School is for.

Thought you'd like that.

Still, if you take a good look (and listen) around, it seems HS isn't quite doing the job.

Stupid cannot be cured.

You could keep people in Public School until the were 65 and it wouldn't make a difference

I concur.

 

[Annie]

In a society where government is predicated upon the informed consent of the governed, college education should be freely and universally available to all.

Thats what High School is for.

As well as grammar school. Do you know how few schools currently teach civics? Have you looked at American history texts?

As for college teaching 'government,' history is not required at most university, just X numbers from the social sciences. History or political science among the choices.

 

[IanC]

if you don't get a crap degree loans should be irrelevant.
2.5MM over a career crushes loans, as stated before college is not for everyone.
If your searching for an easy major, you prob shouldn't finance it.

From the old tuna commercials-
"Charlie, people don't want tunas with good taste, people want tuna that taste good"


Universities should reel back fluff degrees and impose real standards and grades.

 

[blu]

In a society where government is predicated upon the informed consent of the governed, college education should be freely and universally available to all.

Thats what High School is for.

As well as grammar school. Do you know how few schools currently teach civics? Have you looked at American history texts?

As for college teaching 'government,' history is not required at most university, just X numbers from the social sciences. History or political science among the choices.

yep! i got out of college not taking a single history course by taking extra physics & comp sci for my electives. was awesome, didn't have to deal with 20 pages papers that no one cares about and no douchebag professors droning on about nothing

 

[Samson]

In a society where government is predicated upon the informed consent of the governed, college education should be freely and universally available to all.

Thats what High School is for.

As well as grammar school. Do you know how few schools currently teach civics? Have you looked at American history texts?

As for college teaching 'government,' history is not required at most university, just X numbers from the social sciences. History or political science among the choices.

Well, I meant ALL public schooling, not JUST high school.

No, I have not looked at any US History Text: regardless, I'm certain that Humans teach the subject, and are spinning it to whatever doctrine they hold for themselves. Eventually, however, kids get the best lesson in Government when they see their first pay-stub, and it includes total wages less FICA, SS, Medicare....etc., etc.

yep! i got out of college not taking a single history course by taking extra physics & comp sci for my electives. was awesome, didn't have to deal with 20 pages papers that no one cares about and no douchebag professors droning on about nothing

Really? 6 hrs of US History, and 6 hours of US Gov't was manditory at the state university I went to. But that was back when Reagan was President.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is. If you think of it like this you may see why.

Let's assume for the sake of this example that a college degree costs 100K. You say a degree is worth an extra 2 million in income over a lifetime than one without a degree would earn.

If you invested that 100K at age 18 and earned an average of 8% until age 65 you would have nearly 4.25 million. Seems to me the degree ain't worth the money. So the person without the degree would be more than 2 million dollars ahead of the person with the degree.

 

[Samson]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is.

Indeed, it depends.

If you go to a very selective college, and you major in Finance, and you get a $200,000signing bonus with a huge Brokerage House...

Frankly, I don't know why this is such a difficult problem: Pick a major that will cause you to market yourself to someone willing to pay for your degree!

Why, then, would anyone spend more than $200 for a degree in UnderWaterBasket Weaving?

Why would anyone get a BA in Elementary Education that costs $100,000???


Let's just get real a moment: These parents, and their kids aren't THAT STUPID.

They are paying what was once called a "Dowery." University costs began to soar when more women began to attend college that men...coincidance? I think not. Parents are paying to send little Muffy off to college to find a husband.

 

[Mr Natural]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is. If you think of it like this you may see why.

Let's assume for the sake of this example that a college degree costs 100K. You say a degree is worth an extra 2 million in income over a lifetime than one without a degree would earn.

If you invested that 100K at age 18 and earned an average of 8% until age 65 you would have nearly 4.25 million. Seems to me the degree ain't worth the money. So the person without the degree would be more than 2 million dollars ahead of the person with the degree.

a. Where's an 18 year-old going to get $100K to invest?

b. An 8% return? In what dream world?

 

[Skull Pilot]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is. If you think of it like this you may see why.

Let's assume for the sake of this example that a college degree costs 100K. You say a degree is worth an extra 2 million in income over a lifetime than one without a degree would earn.

If you invested that 100K at age 18 and earned an average of 8% until age 65 you would have nearly 4.25 million. Seems to me the degree ain't worth the money. So the person without the degree would be more than 2 million dollars ahead of the person with the degree.

a. Where's an 18 year-old going to get $100K to invest?

b. An 8% return? In what dream world?

Where does an 18 year old get 100K to pay for college?

And over a lifetime if you can't get 8%, you're a moron.

 

[Mr Natural]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is. If you think of it like this you may see why.

Let's assume for the sake of this example that a college degree costs 100K. You say a degree is worth an extra 2 million in income over a lifetime than one without a degree would earn.

If you invested that 100K at age 18 and earned an average of 8% until age 65 you would have nearly 4.25 million. Seems to me the degree ain't worth the money. So the person without the degree would be more than 2 million dollars ahead of the person with the degree.

a. Where's an 18 year-old going to get $100K to invest?

b. An 8% return? In what dream world?

Where does an 18 year old get 100K to pay for college?

And over a lifetime if you can't get 8%, you're a moron.

Loans, scholarships, parents.

The days of 8% returns are long gone.

 

[GHook93]

Grad school is becoming less and less worth it. But undergrad is necessary. Face blue collar jobs are starting to non-exist. Construction jobs are going to illegals. American society almost makes having a college degree essential.

You can thank the Great Imposter President Bill "Yea I Screwed Things Up and Like Obama I Can Just Blame It On Bush" Clinton.

Clinton is the man who made student loans non-dischargable. Which lead to even the worst shit-hole college being able to charge $10K+ a semester, since student loans were tossed around like candy to anyone with a pulse. Then the good college could charge whatever for the same reason. The large increase in tuition came after Clinton did this ill-advised move and they keep going up at the same rate, even during this shit economy.

Grad school even got worse. Sorry, but college used to be moderately expensive and now it has gotten well out of control expensive solely because to Bill "I Suck" Clinton.

 

[Skull Pilot]

a. Where's an 18 year-old going to get $100K to invest?

b. An 8% return? In what dream world?

Where does an 18 year old get 100K to pay for college?

And over a lifetime if you can't get 8%, you're a moron.

Loans, scholarships, parents.

The days of 8% returns are long gone.

So you are prescient now? Over a 45 year span, you can with complete confidence say it's impossible to average an 8% return?

Tell me if your able to see the future with such certainty, then why don't you tell us what the next lotto numbers will be.

Just so you know if you want to invest well, do what successful investors do

Buffett and Berkshire outperform all mutual funds FundWatch - MarketWatch

Berkshire's Class-A shares have delivered returns of 22% a year since 1965, based on market price, though Buffett prefers to judge gains according to book value, which stand at 20.3%.

 

[topspin]

Public school colleges are not 100,000 tuition not around here.

I'd wager the greater majority of those arguing against college didn't go. Another factor not considered is those without degrees often get shit on changing jobs and having to start over.
I have no problem using the 8% return cause you'd have gotten more than that in stocks since I've been out.

 

[Annie]

Public school colleges are not 100,000 tuition not around here.

I'd wager the greater majority of those arguing against college didn't go. Another factor not considered is those without degrees often get shit on changing jobs and having to start over.
I have no problem using the 8% return cause you'd have gotten more than that in stocks since I've been out.

What public university is not $25k a year with tuition, room & board, books, and travel?

I'd guess many of those arguing that college ISN'T Right for Everyone, have college. I know I do.

 

[topspin]

every study I've seen takes cost into account.
Room and board are a cost if you don't go to school as well.
Average tuition at a public school is about 15,000 a year. 60k
vs 2.5MM more in earnings
To me it's a no brainer if you pick a decent degree.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Public school colleges are not 100,000 tuition not around here.

I'd wager the greater majority of those arguing against college didn't go. Another factor not considered is those without degrees often get shit on changing jobs and having to start over.
I have no problem using the 8% return cause you'd have gotten more than that in stocks since I've been out.

I went to college. I have 2 Bachelors and a Masters.

Guess what those degrees aren't being used at all in my current business.

And as I said before the first 2 years of college in any degree program are pretty worthless. You can get the same knowledge for free at a library and take the CLEPs for college credit.

 

[Skull Pilot]

every study I've seen takes cost into account.
Room and board are a cost if you don't go to school as well.
Average tuition at a public school is about 15,000 a year. 60k
vs 2.5MM more in earnings
To me it's a no brainer if you pick a decent degree.

That same 60K earning 8% for 47 years (age 18 to 65) would yield the same 2.5million without having to go to college.

So the return on the investment does not warrant the time spent in school.

 

[Mr Natural]

I think a better question would be, "Is college education worth the cost?"

I don't think it is. If you think of it like this you may see why.

Let's assume for the sake of this example that a college degree costs 100K. You say a degree is worth an extra 2 million in income over a lifetime than one without a degree would earn.

If you invested that 100K at age 18 and earned an average of 8% until age 65 you would have nearly 4.25 million. Seems to me the degree ain't worth the money. So the person without the degree would be more than 2 million dollars ahead of the person with the degree.

a. Where's an 18 year-old going to get $100K to invest?

b. An 8% return? In what dream world?

Where does an 18 year old get 100K to pay for college?

And over a lifetime if you can't get 8%, you're a moron.

OK, let's assume you're right and an 8% return over a lifetime is possible.

Your premise is still ridiculous. Assuming an 18 year old can scrape together $100K or that his parents give it to him to invest does not address the issue of condemning him to working some low paying, insecure job for 45 years so he has a nest egg at age 65.

Doesn't sound like much of a life to me.