alt Hacker NewsIs going to university really that good of advice nowadays?
Everybody goes to college nowadays and the average white collar has lots of debt and relatively minor financial benefits over a skilled trade worker.
edit: woah, so many people insulted by that. In my bubble and friends, me and another friend are the only people that make very good money compared to non-graduates. Plenty of others opened their shops, went into trades, one learned to tattoo fake eyelashes, one became a (successful) farmer and most make significantly more than the average law/chemist/mathematician/physics/architecture/languages graduates. Sure, the lowest salaries are to be found among the non-graduates too, but I don't see any evidence that graduates make that much more, and that graduating is worth it.
Some answers talking about how "formative college is", but my 25 years old friend with her own shop knows more about real life, business and economy than ivy league MBAs.
Replies
It depends on the university and your goals, I suppose.
Many people are surprised to learn how affordable elite colleges are if you genuinely need financial aid. I had no idea -- was pleasantly surprised when my alma mater took over 80% off of my tuition.
If you’re talking purely financial benefit: yes, it is still good advice, as most white collar jobs still require a degree.
If you’re talking about a place to mature, around others who are at a similar phase of life, also yes.
It is where most people meet their cofounders, for example, even if they don’t found anything until much later.
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Depends on where you live (lots of countries have no tuition fees or far lower than the US), what funding you have, how good a university you go it, what you want to do (some careers require a degree), whether you will enjoy it, and whether you are there just for financial benefits or more than that.
Its not good advice for everybody, but it is good advice for a lot of people. What if you want to be a doctor? What if you want to work in R & D? Not everyone enjoys working in a shop or a farm. Also, how old is your friend group? If they are mid twenties you are ignoring the greater scope for advancement in a lot of white collar careers.
> my 25 years old friend with her own shop knows more about real life, business and economy than ivy league MBAs.
Within the narrow limits relevant to her business. How much does she know about macro-economics or financial economics, or scaling up a business? I also suspect you are comparing her to people who went straight on from bachelors to MBA (which is a bad path - study business after having some experience IMO) and lack experience. How will she compare in 10 years time when those people also have real world experience?