Does university matter? Are high tuition fees worth it?

[Findesemana]

I say, YES!

Tuition fees are an economic necessity. Some governments could lessen defence spending to compensate (and we all know this won't happen soon...) but then high fees are needed to balance out costs.

However, despite the cost of university, there are some good reasons why it's good to go:

Life Experience

It's a bit of cliche, but then people do really get a life education at university. it's because they meet many different kinds of people, and often learn to mix with others on a large scale. This may differ from their compulsory education, because they may not be limited to cliques or other groupings.

More Money

Uni graduates often obtain more money once they graduate and find employment. The reason is obvious (more value to employers), however whilst money isn't everything in life, it's better to have more to spend, save and live/enjoy life than without.

It's Needed to Get By in Contemporary Society

Most jobs in the economy now need high levels of skills. This is why many governments around the world want persons to go to university. To get a good job, one has to have the skill sets and this is done via getting a degree.

The above points are commonly cited in society, and I agree with them for the most part. However, the point below is my own, because I think that despite the high tuition cost:

Hard Work Reaps it's Own Rewards

By getting a degree, I believe a person is more able to achieve his or her potential, dreams, and goals. S/he can also take the knowledge learnt and work anywhere. It just unlocks more potential, and more opportunities to boot. I reckon because of this, as many people as possible should go to university. We only have one life to live, live it well and live it to suit one's own will.

[Anonymous]

College is only worth it if you need a degree for a specialized field, like computer science or biology. As much as I hate to admit it, majoring in a Liberal Arts field is a huge mistake if you have to take out loans. Unless you get lucky with a good career, you will have a very fun time paying those loans back.

[Opinion Owner]

Basically, what I'm saying is choose your major wisely.

[Findesemana]

I agree... i think some people don't plan their education/career path..

[CommieDearest]

I agree with a lot of this but many people have dreams which you don't need a degree to accomplish.

[Findesemana]

true... uni isn't absolutely needed to do well or be successful, but then it's one of the better ways out there.

[kheserthorpe]

Certain university fields increase the individual's productivity.

To a large extent, the 'more money' is simply selection bias. If we eliminated university, the high schoolers who would have been admitted to university will tend to, on average, go on to earn more than those who would not have been admitted. Similarly a degree is 'needed in contemporary society' because so many other people have a degree. My grandfather was the head accountant for a multinational corporation without having a degree (though he did a fair bit of executive education). People need degrees because other people have degrees. That doesn't mean building more publicly funded universities would make things better. (in fact, it makes things worse).

I agree that university is a valuable life experience, I just question whether it provides great -value-. It's an incredibly expensive way to broaden young people's perspectives. We could have young people do development work, travel, etc. for a year, and I suspect they'd grow as much or more, on average. And entering the workforce also provides valuable life experience earned by hard work.

outside of more technical fields, we've created a pointless degree arms race that requires more and more young people to accumulate huge debts while staying out of the workforce, simply because the university spaces exist and someone else will get the degree if they don't.

[Findesemana]

not many people had degrees when your grandfather did... the world has changed since then..

[kheserthorpe]

Yes. Nowadays he wouldn't be considered for that job without an MBA. Which he'd have gotten had he been alive today. Then done the exact same job he did except he'd have earned 6 years less salary and paid something like 150K in tuition. That's how the world had changed.

The question is whether this is an improvement.

[dartmaul15]

Does the cost have to be so ridicolously high as in USA?
NO! Firstly the staitstics clearly show they're WAAAY too high compared to what they should be. Get a working wellfare state, and you can make it affordable for everyone. The result is the best heads get the best jobs, not those with the richest parents.

[Findesemana]

would agree... uni is still worth it though..

[dartmaul15]

Haven't started uni yet (serving the obligatory year in the army), but the rest of the points are good.

Problem is, uni is a huge financial cost that is unnecesarily high in some countries. So yes, it's worth it, but it could still be cheaper.

[MysteriousFlower]

I am doing a bachelor of science degree. This may lead me into medicine if I am really good or there may be other options available, I might like biology or psychology.
Doing University keeps you motivated to be preoccupied in life (I am mainly speaking for young people like me) and it can help you plan out your future financially.
I know a lot of people who don't go to uni for costs or personal struggles. For me it wasn't easy as I had a lot of harsh criticism but generally the environment is good and many tutors are understanding because they're only human! :)

[front2back]

It's really only worth it if you're going the STEM or Medical route, NOT communications. For example, I'm paying almost $9k a semester for uni (half of it is room and meal plan, though) and sadly at the moment those have to be payed off with loans. HOWEVER, being an Engineering major, paying off loans is very easy for me. Joining a Co-op after my sophomore year allows me to actually work full time with a company for over half a year, all while making between $25-$45 an hour. Just working that much over the summer and fall can easily put enough money to pay off the loans, and I get work experience. Once I get out of uni, the averages salary for a Mech in my area is about $65k a year, which will also easily pay off the loans. Engineers who take part in co-ops also have a starting salary about $15k higher on averae than inexperienced ones. So that's a nice bonus, too.

So to me, college is worth it despite the loans because the money I make going out will far exceed the money I put in.

[Brittanymaexoxo]

Majority of the comments I read through say it is important to choose your major wisely which I agree with completely. I am enrolled to get my bachelors degree in health administration in which a degree is necessary. I do not think a degree is necessary in every job opportunity but there are some which do require higher education. My cost per year is 18k not including housing, food or any other on campus fees.

[Laura1995]

This is something that I've been interested in for a while.
I will be going to a community college in January... The tuition is so cheap ($104.75 per credit for Allegheny County residents). Previously, I went to a private four year university, where the tuition went up by $1,000 this year, and it will continue each year. So it's $27,000 this year, and next year it'll be $28,00.

Thankfully my financial aid covers it... I should have started out at community first, then transferred.

[Laura1995]

I went from a nursing major to a psychology major. Both requires more than four years of school anyways. But I really love psychology, so I don't want to change it.

[jjodllwedo]

I've said it before and im going to say it again; im NEVER going to put myself into some massive debt just cause people think i should for the educations sake.

[Findesemana]

please yourself, nobody is forcing you, nor said you had to...

[jjodllwedo]

someone lit your tampon string on fire. xD

[Lizzy32794]

I am going to school right now for kinesiology but after I get my kinesiology degree I want to go on to become an occupational therapist. I'm just not sure if there is any money in kinesiology since I will just be a trainer at a gym

[pooper89]

If you're going for some sort of technical degree like STEM, it matters. If you want to be an entrepreneur or want to do something in arts or communications, it isn't actually a necessity.

[islands7]

You'll regret the memories of high tuition far less than this missed opportunity that few are able to recapture at an older age...

[lovestuck0]

Of course its worth it. However Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates never finished university

[apple24]

ya I palning to go to a cheap unviersity but it still a bit expensive bc I have to move... I think it worth it and it fun meeting new ppls

[legalboxers]

a degree is a degree at the end of the day. whether it be a community or a high end university, in todays world, if it gets you a job, mission accomplished.

[Ironman127]

Thats a good one 👍
However i think it also depends on the person...

[Findesemana]

true... everything is subjective after all.

[Anonymous]

I think the cheaper colleges are only worth going for. Paying 20 to 40 thousand for college a year is not worth it unless of course ylu are going for a doctor who will make that money up quickly