[unperson]

"you've got a one-time offer from society that we're going to subsidize anything you do for the next four years and not have any expectation that you'll work for a living during that time."

Not everyone can afford to go to college, much less go without a job. Even if you are able to secure loans to cover tuition and all living expenses, this would easily run 100k at a public university. I'm at a bit of a loss regarding your attitude towards the price of attending college...could you please elaborate?

[patio11]

You can do it for much cheaper than $100k, but I went to an expensive private school, so $100k is in the rough ballpark. My family didn't have the wherewithal to pay anything near that. I got through college via a combination of work study, scholarships, and about $21,000 worth of loans.

You know how hard it is to get $21k worth of angel funding? And the kind of terms people will want? Getting $21k of student loans requires a) filling out a form and b) signing up to pay $200 a month for the next ten years, after you've graduated and (presumably) have paying work. Seriously, you will never be offered money on terms this good ever again. (I ended up paying my loans a few years ahead of schedule, with business profits. That probably wasn't economically rational but debt grates on me psychically.)

Obviously I wouldn't suggest taking out $100k in loans (~ $800+ in monthly payments) to get a degree in Studies of the Subaltern: Literature In Post-Colonial Uruguay, but if you're already decided on programming I have little worry that you'll walk down that path.

[boucher]

The terms of loans so advantageous, and there are so many scholarships and financial aid opportunities which don't require repayment. The majority of students don't pay anywhere near full price at expensive private colleges. And the returns, on average, more than pay for the cost.

I went to a school which ran around $40k a year at the time, half of which the school paid for me on my behalf, purely based on financial need not scholarship. I worked hard, got a bunch of outside scholarships, and then landed a TA job my final year which paid for my final year of school. I graduated with around $40k in debt, which I've barely made a dent in two years later, but it's obviously the best money I've ever spent.

For one, I met my cofounders there, and started a company that I love working at. I also learned how to program. I went in to school never having written anything other than a calculator app for my TI 83. Maybe I could have learned everything I did on my own, but I doubt it would have been as effective or as efficient.

Your posts in this thread have been spot on.

[evgen]

25k/year for a decent standard of living in an environment that those of us who have been through the process look back on fondly as some of the most fun we had? Yeah, that is a hell of a bargain.