This is idiotic to think this way. So we distill your experience of college into what MOST people should do? I think not. Why? Because it becomes a head trash excuse for the lazy.
A degree is something you get for finishing. A lot of people have very little to claim they have actually completed that has meaning to an employer. But a degree is one of them that is a gold standard. A degree also signifies you've given a certain subject a lot of thought. So do certifications, previous work experience community service, awards and more.
Surprise, if you are somebody who can work smart and knows how to complete things, you are more employable than somebody who doesn't. And if you also stack on that a lot of other good qualities, skills and finished work you're an even better candidate. And if you're personable and work well with others, even better.
A more appropriate sentiment would be you didn't get much out of your degree because you changed careers. (Many people do that, no news there) But others respect the work they have done in the past and how to synthesize what they've learned from specialized and general studies to apply elsewhere.
Everybody knows college is expensive. It's not a mystery. The costs are laid out there. But it's also quite easy to develop alternative paths to completing a degree in a specialized field and not get into enormous debt. One is to do fantastic and apply to a ton of scholarships. Another is to do community college work, get the degree there (something finished) and also work and save money. But I can tell you there is a point where you can do part time college, part time work and find it really draining. it's good to complete things in a lump sum.
The first four years of college is what you make of them. You ultimately get out what you put in.
And ignoring that, you also cannot make blanket statements like this... there's an incredible amount of variability in four year programs. I can tell you my BSc CS degree was well earned...
In any setting like a college any student who needs a daycare isn't employable anyway so maybe that environment is still best for them (hopefully done on the cheap). But if you're serious about a subject, you enjoy it or strive to make money from it and contribute to society you put in the work, go to the library, participate in discussions, own that subject during your time there. You are giving it more thought than most people.
Why is this so hard to understand? I think it's great for people to rebel against the system that is expensive and seemingly drawn out for you so as to control your destiny. Doesn't mean the existing infrastructure isn't for anyone at all. There's a lot of effort of the past put into educating people. Dig in and fix it, don't give people head trash to denigrate what is a reasonably effective way to learn, grow and get work in the world.
Methinks you vastly over-state the average person with a desire to fulfill a goal. I've got a recent example. Allow me to re-phrase a line from your last paragraph:
Everybody knows buying a house is expensive. It's not a mystery. The costs are laid out there. But it's also quite easy to develop alternative paths to completing a transaction in a specialized form of finance and not get into enormous debt.
This is a significant exaggeration of explanation of what happened to the housing bubble which led to the 2008 recession. However, it is very well known that Universities have been in an "arms race" and chargning more and more for less and less relevant skills. For-profit colleges prey upon the weak, and that's why we have a Student Loan Bubble brewing...you know, because it's not like there are predatory lenders or marketing materials which lead impressionable people down the wrong path...
I don't want to live in a world where people aren't educated. One less desperate person in the world saves us all a lot of pain. And contributing people mean more societal benefits. Small but meaningful. People are a big mix of desires. College is a great place to learn where you can learn where to direct your energies and passions instead of being a fledgling heap of empty want susceptible to predators in every field.
You've equated "college" with "education". There should be many ways to be educated without going to college. As I wrote in my blog, I never said that the college experience was valueless.
But I did suggest that it could be done cheaper and faster. And I questioned the price.
You said "Dirty Secret: Most people shouldn't go" the obvious inference being "avoid it because it won't be worth it to you."
I'm not confusing college with education. Statistically, college works to big benefits for people when they complete it. Statistically they make more money, hopefully doing meaningful work. No reason to tell others not to go. Tell people TO go and then give them best direction. I want people to go to college for the experience and learning and to get jobs so they contribute to society. I think college could be fast tracked. But I also think that's not in everyone's or the majority's best interest to fast track everything. Because some steps need time and honestly after working with plenty of people in their early 20's. I'd prefer them to be more mature.
There's things about college that you can measure and things you can't. Both are valuable. That's it. you might spend some time looking at how lucky you have been, and how maybe your luck isn't scalable and therefore you shouldn't tell everyone to toss out a system that works.
You say that "Most people probably shouldn’t go to school" and that "you may just be better off not going to school", but when people call you out on that inane conclusion you tell them you're really just questioning the cost and length. OK, well, make up your mind then.
No doubt the education system should be more attuned to the trends in labor markets, and should be affordable to your average person. That's a far cry from "You probably shouldn't go to school".
Not every idea will scale for everyone. Especially dropping out to make iPhone apps. But overall paths to affording college do scale. Community College scales. Turns out they open more branches when the student population fills up.
Your two friends in your same program are, 1) going to agree with you 2) from same location / program therefore could have had same disappointing instruction & facilities and don't offer any further example or statistic for a wider population.
Not going to school and deciding to make iPhone apps doesn't scale either. The world NEEDs most people with a good education so they think critically. For example accepting that they may be wrong. You don't like paying money back that you borrowed. You feel unfulfilled or didn't get what you feel you deserved for your money. you feel that NOW. What is this your first job? How much credibility do you think anyone has who has a struggle with finding work and then decides to generalize their experience on the majority of the world?
The top twenty to thirty private universities in the US have extremely generous financial aid, and the public ones aren't super expensive depending on which school you go to.
A degree is something you get for finishing. A lot of people have very little to claim they have actually completed that has meaning to an employer. But a degree is one of them that is a gold standard. A degree also signifies you've given a certain subject a lot of thought. So do certifications, previous work experience community service, awards and more.
Surprise, if you are somebody who can work smart and knows how to complete things, you are more employable than somebody who doesn't. And if you also stack on that a lot of other good qualities, skills and finished work you're an even better candidate. And if you're personable and work well with others, even better.
A more appropriate sentiment would be you didn't get much out of your degree because you changed careers. (Many people do that, no news there) But others respect the work they have done in the past and how to synthesize what they've learned from specialized and general studies to apply elsewhere.
Everybody knows college is expensive. It's not a mystery. The costs are laid out there. But it's also quite easy to develop alternative paths to completing a degree in a specialized field and not get into enormous debt. One is to do fantastic and apply to a ton of scholarships. Another is to do community college work, get the degree there (something finished) and also work and save money. But I can tell you there is a point where you can do part time college, part time work and find it really draining. it's good to complete things in a lump sum.