[listless]

Ignorant is a bit of a strong word here. The reason why people index on college so much is they are looking at the data...

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2014/02/11/the-ris...

This is not to say that college is causal here, but it is a variable and at least one you can control.

The problem is that everyone wants to go to a nice college and live the dream. Nobody wants to do 2 years free at community college and then transfer to a state school even though the outcomes would be nearly identical as if you went to some high-end private university (ivy not withstanding). This is an entitlement problem, and the universities are exploiting it.

[randomdata]

> it is a variable and at least one you can control.

But that's the thing. You can't control it. Colleges aren't admitting you with that crippling mental disability you were born with no matter how much you wish it to be so. You aren't likely even going to be allowed to graduate from high school. And guess what? The economy won't put much value on you either for the same reason the schools don't want you.

Your idea that the kid with Down Syndrome will see his symptoms go away if only he manages to attain a college degree as poorly analyzed data suggests is a fun idea, and one I wish were true, but that's not how things actually work in the real world.

Only if you are already economically valuable might colleges accept you into their hallowed halls. Of course, that questions: If you are already economically valuable, why not delay college until you have reaped some economic rewards to pay for it? It is not like there is a rush for a college education. I expect there will still be colleges to attend when you are in retirement.

Of course, when you get right down to why people attend college, it is for the curated dating pool (even if they don't like to admit it). Yes, there is somewhat of a rush to find dating partners while you are still comparatively young. For sure, dating in your 80s isn't quite the same. But then that questions why dating requires such a high cost? Surely there is a better, more cost-reasonable, way?

[brodouevencode]

Maybe I didn't do a good job of stating my point, and my example reenforces that college is ultimately a good thing. So please let me clarify:

The point was that everyone graduating high school in the 1990s and onward were constantly fed this idea that you graduate high school and then do your four years (even if that requires racking up a ton of debt) that you'd live a successful, productive life making enough money to at least be comfortable. The averages are proving this to not only to not be true, but that debt incursion is causing major drags on the entire economy.

Incursion of debt without a plan of payoff is ignorant. No bank would ever lend money to you for a business if your business plan didn't contain sufficient enough detail of how you planned to pay them back. Working while in school (and thereby avoiding debt) is IMO the best solution to those who want to attend college but may not be able to get full-ride scholarships and aren't financially well off.

To be fair, many (if not most) university systems do not make this easy. Night classes are generally hard to come by, there are tons of fees that non-traditional students don't see benefit from, many coursework plans are so rigid to the point where pre-reqs will derail schooling for semesters at a time, etc.

[Traubenfuchs]

Putting MDs, computer scientists and religious science graduates in the same cohort, for statistics or arguments sake, is extremely misleading.