More than 1M fewer students are in college, the lowest numbers in 50 years

Re:More than 1M fewer students are in college, the lowest nu... by betwixthewires on Thursday January 13, 2022 @05:31PM (#29927869)

Which is the problem with your presented stat. "People with degrees make 40% more over their lifetimes on average" is useless because it tells us nothing about whether it's worth the capital expenditure. Just making more money isn't the point, having a better life is the point.

So it is very relevant, and your statement here is basically an admission that your 40% stat I keep seeing in these threads is equally irrelevant. "You can make more money and still be burdened" equates to "making more money won't necessarily make your life better." If that's true, what the hell is the point of going to college? To make 40% more?

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Re:More than 1M fewer students are in college, the lowest nu... by endisneigh on Thursday January 13, 2022 @05:47PM (#29928079)

We are talking about salaries, not some philosophical discussion. If your goal is to maximize lifetime earnings college is worth it as shown by college vs non-college graduate earnings - including the cost.

I’m not sure what your point is.

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Re:More than 1M fewer students are in college, the lowest nu... by betwixthewires on Thursday January 13, 2022 @06:01PM (#29928249)

We are talking about whether college is worth the investment in unearned capital and time, we are focusing on the capital expenditure. "Paperclip optimizers are great if you want to optimize for paperclips" is not a strong selling point for paperclip optimizers in the real world. Is college worth the investment? It's not purely philosophical at all, it is very practically relevant. Will my life be better for doing it?

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