ParadiseLost
Well-known member
Except they'd (both your hypothetical writer and the engineer) would be infinitely better off reading a book or watching a lecture online than paying thousands and thousands of dollars to sit through what is, at best, exactly what they'd get out of reading a book or watching a lecture online and, at worst-and-overwhelmingly-likely, nothing but a daily social justice seminar.
The degree is worth less than the paper it's printed on, because you're getting something you could have gotten for free, for the cost of at least a decade of toxic debt.
Its hilarious that you think someone can get a job in engineering without a degree. The vast majority of engineering companies won't even look at you without a degree.
In my area companies are so desperate for chemical engineers they'll both pay your tuition and pay you minimum wage while you're in college.
Secondly, you're not really paying for education at college; you're paying for the preexisting career network. I'm not paying my university $26,000 a year (the actual tuition, I pay much less than that due to various scholarships) to give me an education. I'm paying them $26,000* a year because people in my program generally get offered a job for $55,000+ a year (not including what is usually fairly substantial benefits and bonuses in my field) before their senior year is even over.
I'll be far better off, of course than the average person whether they went to college or not. (Barring my terrible overspending habits, like my addiction to buying video games.)
* What I'm actually paying is $0. I'm taking about ~$7 in debt a year.