> 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 li

> 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.