> Both sets of friends are very capable, but as someone from a solidly middle-class background who was raised to view hard work as the only way to succeed, the

> Both sets of friends are very capable, but as someone from a solidly middle-class background who was raised to view hard work as the only way to succeed, the notion of "networking" and playing the social game to move up has always seemed alien to me. I know it's not true in all cases, but it makes me wonder if taking the risk on a LA degree in some cases is correlated to greater economic privilege From my experience of college (and that of most people I know), especially in the social sciences, the degree itself was only worth it because studying is cheap here. About 1500 euro a year, and we received about 250 euro a month from the state, more if we lived in a dorm, and could top that off with a very, very friendly loan up to about 600 euro total. The biggest value, aside from intrinsic interest in the topic and having mediocre-at-best lecturers provide us with reading suggestions, was indeed the connections we made during those years. Most of the people I met in college now have interesting work or positions in their field (and often via said connections). I partied with them, hung out with them, had discussions with them, started book clubs with them, and became friends with them. If I need to talk to a good journalist, accountant, lawyer, entrepreneur about something, there's one from my network available. If I have questions related to philosophy, physics, literature, etc., well, that's just an appointment and a few beers away. While it's possible to create these connections without going to college, it's much harder. By going to college it happens automatically, especially if you join some student organization. Whether that's worth the insane student loans people have to burden themselves with in some countries is up for debate, but the value in the network is huge. I'd also like to note that it doesn't feel like playing a social game and networking. It's making friends and acquaintances and sort of 'falling into' using the advantages. A bit like how I suppose most people who date other people are looking forward to getting laid, but it doesn't feel 'sleezy' because it's not your primary objective (of course, if it is and you're up-front or okay with that, that's fine too).