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Thought experiment: would college be "worth it" if it were free? That is to say, would it be a valuable use of time and effort? I am sure there are people who

Thought experiment: would college be "worth it" if it were free? That is to say, would it be a valuable use of time and effort? I am sure there are people who can study hours of literature, philosophy, political science, math and physics on their own. I am sure they would write papers and find others to discuss them. For the rest of us there is only college. (You might ask: valuable to what end? Worth what? And that is a good question but the answer is much longer.)

zulln 8y ago
> Thought experiment: would college be "worth it" if it were free? Just to add another perspective/angle on it, university is free to attend in many other countries (you even get paid to study, although not much). People still discuss whether it is worth it and I would agree the question is interesting, but just interesting to keep in mind.
lev99 8y ago
General thoughts on the advantages of institutional learning. * Experts know the relevant information, and learning from them is the best way. Colleges provide access to experts. * A good lecture can be just as informative or more informative than a good book. * Lectures can include information from published journals that haven't made it to textbooks yet. There is too many published journals to know what is the most relevant/interesting in the field without being an expert, and lecturers can provide required background information to understand bleeding edge ideas often written in ways off-putting to novices. * Many people study harder if they know they will be tested on their knowledge. * Assignments provide feedback on your work. * Math is something best learned in groups for most of the population. * Social interactions with other dedicated students can be encouraging. * College provides many resources that help aid studying & research. From libraries to uranium centrifuges. I'm not sure college is the best use of four years for everyone, but I am sure that it does provide real value.
maxk42 8y ago
> would college be "worth it" if it were free? I suspect the answer is "no" more frequently than you may expect. The opportunity cost is four years of your life, four fewer years of full-time work experience, and the income that comes with that work experience. When I was in high school all these recruiters came from various colleges to try and get us to sign up for their schools. I saw what almost none of my peers saw: They were salesmen trying to generate revenue for their business. They did not have my best interests in mind. They presented these lovely little marketing sheets describing how much money you'd make with a degree in X, Y, or Z. I realized then that I didn't know how much money was a lot or a little, but I had an idea the numbers would be rosy. So I started asking people I knew how much money they needed to live and how much they considered a lot. I began cold-calling people in various roles I was considering and asking if the numbers the college recruiters gave us were realistic for an entry-level worker with a degree and no experience. Big shock -- they weren't. In the end, I figured four more years of work experience would put me well ahead of my peers who went to college and it has. That was nearly two decades ago and I'm very well ahead of my peers now. There are some folks who just don't have the discipline to learn things on their own -- for them, maybe college is a good choice. There are others who need a degree by law to practice their chosen field of work. That makes sense for them too. But for the rest of us -- college may be considered harmful.
- chillacy 8y ago
  Out of curiosity, what kind of job were you able to land without a college degree? More and more jobs require a degree, even those that don't seem to need it, just because more and more people are going to college. Though if you're the type of person who's driven enough to do that cold calling, I'm sure you'd find a way around it.
  - maxk42 8y ago
    I'm a senior web developer, typically skirting the line between individual contributor and management.

zulln 8y ago

> Thought experiment: would college be "worth it" if it were free? Just to add another perspective/angle on it, university is free to attend in many other countries (you even get paid to study, although not much). People still discuss whether it is worth it and I would agree the question is interesting, but just interesting to keep in mind.

lev99 8y ago

General thoughts on the advantages of institutional learning. * Experts know the relevant information, and learning from them is the best way. Colleges provide access to experts. * A good lecture can be just as informative or more informative than a good book. * Lectures can include information from published journals that haven't made it to textbooks yet. There is too many published journals to know what is the most relevant/interesting in the field without being an expert, and lecturers can provide required background information to understand bleeding edge ideas often written in ways off-putting to novices. * Many people study harder if they know they will be tested on their knowledge. * Assignments provide feedback on your work. * Math is something best learned in groups for most of the population. * Social interactions with other dedicated students can be encouraging. * College provides many resources that help aid studying & research. From libraries to uranium centrifuges. I'm not sure college is the best use of four years for everyone, but I am sure that it does provide real value.

maxk42 8y ago

> would college be "worth it" if it were free? I suspect the answer is "no" more frequently than you may expect. The opportunity cost is four years of your life, four fewer years of full-time work experience, and the income that comes with that work experience. When I was in high school all these recruiters came from various colleges to try and get us to sign up for their schools. I saw what almost none of my peers saw: They were salesmen trying to generate revenue for their business. They did not have my best interests in mind. They presented these lovely little marketing sheets describing how much money you'd make with a degree in X, Y, or Z. I realized then that I didn't know how much money was a lot or a little, but I had an idea the numbers would be rosy. So I started asking people I knew how much money they needed to live and how much they considered a lot. I began cold-calling people in various roles I was considering and asking if the numbers the college recruiters gave us were realistic for an entry-level worker with a degree and no experience. Big shock -- they weren't. In the end, I figured four more years of work experience would put me well ahead of my peers who went to college and it has. That was nearly two decades ago and I'm very well ahead of my peers now. There are some folks who just don't have the discipline to learn things on their own -- for them, maybe college is a good choice. There are others who need a degree by law to practice their chosen field of work. That makes sense for them too. But for the rest of us -- college may be considered harmful.

chillacy 8y ago
Out of curiosity, what kind of job were you able to land without a college degree? More and more jobs require a degree, even those that don't seem to need it, just because more and more people are going to college. Though if you're the type of person who's driven enough to do that cold calling, I'm sure you'd find a way around it.
- maxk42 8y ago
  I'm a senior web developer, typically skirting the line between individual contributor and management.