Depends on the degree, mostly. Necessary disclaimer that everything I'm about to say is about statistical averages, which of course doesn't apply to you, dear r

Depends on the degree, mostly. Necessary disclaimer that everything I'm about to say is about statistical averages, which of course doesn't apply to you, dear reader - you are hypercompetence incarnate and I know the world heavily undervalues you. :) The average bachelor's degree holder in the United States has an IQ of about 115, or about an 1100/1600 on the SATs. Some of the majors you probably intuit to be rigorous (mathematics, engineering, CS, and quite often philosophy) really do also tend to have higher average IQs for successful graduates - I usually hear 125 to 130 floated for these ones. There also exist majors with lower average IQs, like [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. Competition for the top schools tends to push the average IQ there much higher no matter which nation one looks at - my alma mater's average SAT scores would suggest an average IQ of 130 or so across the board. But, for most people going to most schools, that won't make that much of a difference, and unsurprisingly a lot of really smart people decide the extra thousand hours to crank out 200 extra points on the SAT just isn't worth it. That's why surprisingly often you'll meet e.g. an engineering graduate from Podunk Polytechnic who's smarter than half the people you meet at the University of Ivory Towers. College degrees act as a valuable signaling mechanism of both one's intelligence and ability to work consistently in a modern environment. One relevant term to Google is "sheepskin effect". If your IQ is anywhere in the triple digits, it is almost certainly possible for you to get an associate's degree, and it's probably possible for you to get a bachelor's as well. If your IQ is in the double digits, it's probably not the best move, just from an effort to reward standpoint. Luckily the trades pay quite well and provide an alternative track that's both in demand and more accommodating of people who have less raw brainpower to throw around, but who are otherwise quite good and decent people. And of course, I've known e.g. a few electrical engineers who became licensed electricians after their degree just because they liked working with their hands, and they almost always seem to clean up very well. Practically anyone interested in this topic would do well to read https://www.amazon.com/Case-against-Education-System-Waste/dp/0691174652 https://www.amazon.com/Case-against-Education-System-Waste/d..., both if they love college and if they hate it.