College is a wise choice for far fewer people than are currently encouraged to consider it.
He's not so much speaking to you, but to your two buddies that couldn't hack it.
a bachelor's is not overrated. nor is a masters or doctorate. the issue is that technical and vocational schools (the 2 year degrees) are underrated. people view them as for the stupid kids, which is patently false.
i agree with a lot of the facts, ideas and arguments presented, but i disagree with some of the conclusions.
a bachelor's is not overrated. the technical and vocational schools are underrated, and american society has put a bit too much pressure on students either continuing to a 4-year university or jumping straight into work, totally ignoring the other options.
because of that, substandard schools and garbage degrees have come in to fill the gap, babying people through a bachelor's degree as long as they're willing to pay, giving them a feel-good degree that is almost worthless in a competent workplace.
imo, the solution is to make the 2 year degree a more standard educational choice, removing the stigma associated with it.
however, i'd like to see some proof that a large portion of bachelor's degrees have a negative value. i find that one a toughie to swallow as stated.
the degree itself is not bad, the schools and programs are the things that should be criticized individually. i am content with my degree, because i made it through the curriculum. two of my pals who started with me couldn't cut it, and they were both pretty sharp guys. dropout/failure rate from my major at my school was something like 65%. (i don't know what it is now, could be easier to slide by nowadays)
just because some schools and majors don't have standards doesn't mean that all schools and majors don't have standards.