>Encouraging people to go into six-figure debt That is just wrong, the average student debt in the US is ~$30,000. It still a lot for a 22-year-old to have, bu

>Encouraging people to go into six-figure debt That is just wrong, the average student debt in the US is ~$30,000. It still a lot for a 22-year-old to have, but that is far shy of ~$100,000. It holds for some degrees or personal situations, but in the macro sense isn't accurate. >they can get a degree that has zero marketability (except of course to continue on in college) I do think this is true for a good number of degrees, but I think it simply points to a larger issue with the system as it stands now. The fact that for most jobs, even if you don't need a degree, most businesses won't even look at you if you don't have a degree. Like you are saying, the system encourages a "deeply cynical enterprise" by creating this ginormous industry of college degrees, loans, etc. all so students can simply signal to businesses their "competence" or whatever you want to call. So much for an efficient market!