[grouchyOldGuy]

A friend of mine once described getting a college degree as "getting your union card". A college degree doesn't indicate knowledge or experience per se, but what it does imply is that person can make a long-term commitment and complete it. A college degree is a significant investment in money, time, and effort. Lots of people don't attempt it or quit along the way, so someone that completes one demonstrates that they can complete long-term tasks.

[extension]

3-4 of the best years of your life is a hefty price to pay just to demonstrate that you can do something for a long time.

This question is asked frequently and I can summarize the ensuing debate. For any benefit offered by college, or competence that it allegedly demonstrates, it can be said that:

1. college doesn't actually accomplish that in practice, and/or

2. it's not actually important in the real world, and/or

3. the same thing can be achieved faster/cheaper/more effectively through self-education/work experience, and/or

4. it is obviously not worth the staggering investment of time and money.

I rarely see tech job ads that don't qualify the education requirement with "or equivalent experience" so the people doing the hiring seem to feel the same way.

[chiffonade]

> 3-4 of the best years of your life is a hefty price to pay

Those 3-4 aren't really going to be the best unless you're in an environment with young girls, beer, drugs, and class, where you get to meet new people.

What are you going to do, get a job instead?

Don't make me laugh.

[extension]

In my town, you do all that in high school. By the time you start uni, you either have peers from school or peers from outside school who you found because there were no other weird people in your school. There's nothing special going on at uni and whatever there is is perfectly accessible to everyone else.

I'd say the connections in my extended social network are 5% through high school, 1% through uni, 10% through doing random stuff and the rest through friends. That network provides me with a more or less steady supply of jobs, girlfriends, cool dudes and assorted adventures. And, it's part of the real, permanent world and not some expensive fantasy camp that you have to leave behind when the vacation's over.

Maybe things are different here, but if it works for us, it can work for anyone, and economics may soon force the matter.

If people want to hook up, get high and party, they'll make it happen wherever they are and whatever they're doing, so they might as well be doing something useful.

[rapind]

If all you're going to end up with at the end of uni are some good stories, you can condense the partying to 1 year of backpacking far more efficiently and cheaply. I personally believe the experience is far superior, and the lessons learnt more valuable. Depending on how you travel of course.

So imho if you're basing uni's value purely on the social aspect then it comes up way short. Instead, go travel for a year or three, figure out who you are and what you're passionate about, then get to it. You're forced to be social in both atmosphere's.

Compare a four year degree to two years of travel and two years work experience in your chosen field. Which do you think has the edge?

[chiffonade]

> Compare a four year degree to two years of travel and two years work experience in your chosen field. Which do you think has the edge?

With the right school, you can do all 3.