These articles always read like someone attacking a strawman. No college degree will make you rich. What a college degree offers is a change in how competitive

These articles always read like someone attacking a strawman. No college degree will make you rich. What a college degree offers is a change in how competitive you are for higher paying jobs. No one really gets wealthy working in STEM careers, but technical ability is one of the most direct routes to having at least a middle class life. The choice of school matters, the choice of major matters, but not in predictable ways and it's important to weigh the costs and benefits together. Yeah, private schools have better alumni networks, but do you want to spend 4x on your undergrad to access those? To what extent can you substitute hard work for buying access? When I was in high school, I seriously considered becoming a doctor. However, I ran the numbers - becoming a doctor vs. going into business and working as hard as I'd have to work to become a doctor. Becoming a doctor probably pays off, but not until you're in your 40s. However, you can put away a lot more money in your 20s and 30s working rather than studying medicine so the break even point is very sensitive to the ROI. But the point is the same choose your own adventure, but at least weigh the options.