SJ2727 - Thank you for your response. Part of my process for making an informed decision was to reach out to see if there may be some benefits that I am overlooking in quantitative assessment. Essentially, I’m looking at a $250,000 investment. I have a lot of ideas of how to invest a quarter of a million dollars that would provide returns starting in the near term and could compound exponentially in due time. I could also play the long game in other ways, and one of those ways, that seems to have a high risk profile, is to invest in higher education. While the personal development aspects seem to be the primary justification for choosing a college education, my suspicion is that this growth can be attained by less costly means; even while acknowledging that the networking opportunity may be difficult to reasonably replicate. From my personal experience, which does not include formal education, finding the value of the degree (given it’s enumerated price) is confounding. A more clear request I could have made, would have been “Tell me what you see as the value proposition for attending college, that I cannot see in the numbers. Please contribute what you see as the value of choosing college over other available opportunities.” There has to be grounds for why so many strive for this opportunity.
ClassicRockerDad - Thank you for the feel good response. You hit a lot of the right “notes” with me. You are completely on point. I surmise my reason for pursuing a formal education is partially due to not knowing if I have been deprived by not attending school, and partially the opportunity to make connections, as well as to learn new skills, (although there are plenty of means to acquire skills that don’t involve schooling.) I am looking at this as an investment in myself that may ultimately pay off in some nebulous way at some nebulous time in the future. I do see value in the social climate, intellectual stimulation and potential challenges, but as a 16 year old it’s complicated for me to known how to assign worth to these intangibles for the purpose of comparison to quantifiable assets.
I appreciate both of your feedback and this correspondence is assisting me to develop a more nuanced perspective. I welcome more input and voices in this conversation.