Over a month has passed since I have graduated from college and I find myself questioning whether it was worth it or not. Sentimentally it was, I had the time of my life, memories I'll die with and people I'll never forget. On the other hand, financially that is, I'm not so sure. As we all know college education isn't free in this country, unless you're an exceptional student or athlete. Over the last 30 years, the cost of tuition has sky rocketed to the point where attending college will cost you and your family an arm, a leg and years of debt unless you're fortunate where money isn't an issue. It has become the social norm that if Americans want to live the "American Dream" they must earn some sort of college degree in order to do so. There is a misconception that there's a correlation between which school one attends and the wealth they acquire.
Picking a college or university today has become comparable to buying a car. You can choose to go with the economical Kia or the luxury Mercedes Benz (if you have the money). It just comes down to what you're willing to spend. At the end of the day they're both cars that will get you from point A to point B, it's just a matter of paying for the bells and whistles. Colleges and Universities are no different. You can choose to attend the state school which will average you between $7,000-20,000 a year or the private school which will run you between $30,000-50,000. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages to both but the education does not differ. When I was in the process of determining which school to attend, I narrowed it down to 2 schools. One was around $15,000 (at the time time) and the other was almost $30,000. I then took the education into consideration, how different/better was the education at DOUBLE the price? It was the same. The Kia's the same thing as the Benz when you break it down to the basics. It's 4 wheels with seats and an engine that will get you to and from places you want to go. You may have barely enough money for the Kia or you may have enough for both cars but the fact of the matter is they're both the same.
The concept of college on a basic level is quite comical. You pay to attend a school where professors tell you to read textbook(s) that will cost you your other arm and leg. Then they "teach" it to you and you take 2-4 tests/quizes or write a bunch of papers over a semester and they give you a grade. After 4 years (maybe less, maybe more) of doing this they give you a piece of paper with the school name and your name on it. It's the most expensive piece of paper you've ever bought in your life. Just like a car, you're paying for the name and just like a car company these colleges and universities just want your money. There are some who accept the suckers who are willing to pay more.
Anyway, back to my question; is paying for higher education really worth it? My answer is no. The higher education system is just another product of capitalism. If these schools weren't out to make a profit they would no longer exist. My solution is: the internet. Yes, the internet. The virtual world of endless information. I probably learned more from the internet in my 4 years of college than I did from my textbooks and most of them were online. Why does it make me more qualified for a job because I paid tens of thousands of dollars to have professors tell me to read textbooks for 4 years than a person who read them on the internet for free or a fraction of the cost? Oh yeah, it's because they didn't get the expensive piece of paper saying they did so. Society tells us we need to obtain this piece of paper to be considered better than someone who doesn't have it. Eventually people are going to realize how overrated and overpriced higher education is and we're going to turn into a nation of self-educators. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates to show you their expensive piece of paper.
http://www.elearners.com/college-tuition/
http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/24/news/economy/public_tuition_soars/index.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2007-01-12-college-tuition-usat_x.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2003/07/28/cx_dd_0728mondaymatch.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html
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