Depends what you want to do. In any case, I probably wouldn't spend a ton on undergrad. If we're being real here, where you go to school doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of difference. Bigger schools have better alumni networks, which is great for finding a job, but the difference in education quality probably isn't as big as you might expect.

Though, that said, I wouldn't be where I am now without the degrees I have. That's due to my going to law school rather than what I did in undergrad, though. In business, being a lawyer is pretty rad.

Employment is worth taking seriously. I never finished my bachelors, and I have a hard time getting in for an interview with anyone. I'm weeded out before they ever see my face. Is it impossible? No. Is it a pain in the ass? Yes.

If you are smart, then it is true that you can continue to educate yourself throughout your life. However, you never again will have the chance to spend 40-80 hours a week learning whatever you want to. Forget the "college experience." Learn something. Take the classes and pass them because they are what allow you to be there on campus. Use your time to learn what you want to learn.

The numbers you quote are cheap and definitely worth it. If you were at Notre Dame or somesuch that charges $45,000 a year, then I would advise you to find something less cripplingly expensive. But where you're at is just fine.

In a nutshell, you do have a great opportunity. Figure out what it is you can make of your unique opportunities at college and then make the most of it.

Cheers.

I completed my university degree a while back (wow... more than 10 years ago now).

Was it worth it?
Absolutely. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for the degree. Unemployment is at scary levels here in South Africa - it's usually estimated between 20 and 30% (depending on who does the estimation). There are literally millions of people looking for work here, and there are only so many jobs to go around. Even if the job doesn't require higher qualifications (and most well-paying ones do), you GREATLY improve your chances of scoring an interview if you have some kind of degree to your name. Every job posting I see online usually gets hundreds of applications - and I can guarantee you only a small handful of those will get an interview. I don't know what the situation is like in the States, but I suspect it's not quite as dire as ours. Still, that's no small benefit.

Also... don't fret too much about the college experience. You're there to learn. Sometimes you'll learn things you'll never use again in your life (I reckon I only use about 20% of the things I got taught during my degree now), but one of the key things you'll obtain from a college/university is the ability to improve yourself - you learn how to learn. And to tie it back to my initial point - employers know that too. Nobody will expect you to walk into a job and instantly know what to do, and how to go about doing it. But having that proven capacity to learn new skills is what'll make you the more attractive candidate to take into the company.

Having a higher education does have many, more subtle effect on your whole life rather than just help you getting a job. It broadens your mind, and helps you understand how the world around you works.

While I don't mean to offend anyone, most of the evils in this world comes from ignorance. I've seen lots of people do unfortunate decisions, personal and otherwise, simply because they don't have what it takes to make informed choices.

I suppose it depends on the country: the cost/benefit ratio is different for every country. In my case (Belgium) it would be completely stupid not to pursue higher education: the admission fee is about EUR 700 (rounded up!) and by consequence it is very hard to get a job without at least a bachelor's degree (no degree = your job application goes to the shredder in most organizations). Of course the low admission fee means that the money involved isn't an issue for most people here (minimum wage is about EUR 1100/month, if I'm not mistaken).

Also the higher education system is a bit different in every country, so for me it was "only" university and nobody stops after a bachelor degree there.

Was my degree in mathematics worth it? Absolutely, I had great fun obtaining it and I'm not talking parties and social interaction here, just studying and understanding the course material.

Could I be where I am without the degree: no, for reasons cited above, I needed a master's degree just to be hired for the job I have.

If you want to spend your life asking "Would you like fries with that?", don't go to college....although going to college could still leave you asking that same question the way things are nowadays :)

If you can afford to go to college, go, it really enhances your options.

I dropped out.
DON'T BE LIKE ME!

If you have anything else you'd rather do, consider an alternative to college. The cost of attending is being artificially raised exponentially, and will continue to be until the college loan industry bleeds my country (the US) dry. I can't speak for other places, but the higher education system here is a giant racketeering scheme. When the millions of indebted college graduates can no longer pay back their loans, expect a crash on par with the housing bubble bursting.

It's the 21st century, you shouldn't have to drive through pothole infested roads to sit in a classroom and be lectured to on material that doesn't enter into the real world, and you'll most likely forget anyway. I think self education is the way of the future. Hiring people just because they have degrees is antiquated. Employers want people that can prove they know what they're doing, and have demonstrable in demand skills. They'll tell you that's what you'll learn in college, and to a point that's true. But then they'll slather all this common core crap on you, that costs you money and wastes your time.

I will regret the years I lost to college till my dying day. Teach yourself, learn how to start a business, look in vocational or tech schools, volunteer to work somewhere if you can afford it, learn practical skills. Theory only goes so far. Try not to enable a broken system that is benefiting a few people to turn an entire generation of students into debt serfs.

College gets you new contacts on various interesting people with a certain level of expertise, gets you open to new ideas and ways of learning and improving yourself, gets you access to libraries and databases, encourages you to rethink yourself and your values and opinions on various stuff based on the knowledge you gain there, teaches you how to be able to work on a higher level of expertise required for specific tasks and so on.
College is not about some kind of immediate material gain or a prize right after you graduate. No matter what is the field of your studies, college is a way to vastly improve yourself, if you choose so that is. It is possible to get a degree in something or another never even bothering about broadening your horizons, but that would be the true waste of time and money. Still, even such way would probably help you getting a better job so either way graduating from college is a huge win, trust me.

I really think it depends on what you need and what you're going for. After a couple of years of college I realized it didn't help me in my particular career path, so I left with the option of finishing later. I haven't been back and haven't needed to. Many of the prices for tuition are becoming astronomical, but at the same time there are now many alternatives which are very cost effective, especially with online classes and degrees. Of course people who've been to college are generally more educated than people who haven't, but nowadays it's really more of an individual choice to educate oneself. I know grossly ignorant people who have masters degrees and PhDs.

Just going to add that college simply is not for everyone. It isn't for me, because that's not how I learn. After screwing around for a year and watching a couple friends struggle with it (some very smart people), I took the military route. That gave me the hands-on learning that works better for me. I suspect a tech school would have been a similar experience though the military doesn't give you a chance to screw around with their time and effort - and I think that was a big part of my subsequent success. Eventually, though, the other bullshit wore thin so we both left.

So I have no college experience and now run a business in industrial automation and manufacturing. A typical college would not teach me the skills needed for this job, though a tech school probably could (I think our local tech school has programs that, if combined, would get one close). Looking up wages and benefits on salary.com, I'm at the same level as someone with a 4-6 year degree and 4-6 years experience. And no college debt. Edit: also, no regrets from not obtaining a degree.

My wife got her associate's in biz admin. The degree got her in the door for an interview but what got her the job was skills learned by OJT. And now that she has the job, the degree has little to do with her work and it's just more OJT for the HR admin work she does. Essentially, she spent two years and a whole mess of money to get a job interview.

Anyway, the big picture says it's beneficial. The individual picture says it depends on the individual.

It's worth what you put into it. If you slack off - and I include slacking off on networking and life skills in that, not just studying - you won't get much out of it. Treat it seriously and you'll come out with serious benefits. Picking your major wisely is a big part of that. College certainly isn't the right fit for everyone. It is a great help for most people though, and you will hit a glass ceiling without a college degree in many businesses.

I went to college to get a degree that would allow me to have a better career than a high school diploma would. I had a mix of scholarships and loans. I worked whenever I could, but made studying my first priority and spent time getting to know professors and good students. My degree has opened doors for me and given me opportunities that I would never have had without it. Managing your finances carefully is an important part of this. I lived very frugally during school. My loans were frustrating at first but I made paying them off a priority, and I'm not debt-free.

Life is BS. You're not going to magically find a place where you don't need to deal with annoyances. The point of college isn't 'the college experience'. It's to prepare you to think critically, be a mature adult, and support yourself and your family. Juggling multiple priorities is a constant. Learn to be happy in spite of not everything being fun.

Unless you are trying for a career that absolutely requires a college degree, will pay well, and is in demand; AVOID college like the plague.

When I say careers that require degrees, pay well, and are in demand; I'm talking about becoming a commissioned military officer (prepare to lie about your medical history by marking the word "no" to everything in order to maximize your chances of getting in), becoming a high-ranking police officer, a mechanical engineer, an accountant, or a teacher.

That being said, if you're just looking for money, go to a trade school and learn to become either a welding specialist or a machining specialist since those jobs are in demand but supply of skilled, experienced workers is low. In fact, I knew welding specialists who only had to work 6 months in a year and got paid decently as independent contractors.

Also, I have a college degree in business management (Bachelor's) and currently I'm stuck working one part-time job and one unofficial job while at the same time I'm applying for a position in the Maryland Army National Guard as an infantryman which will involve plenty of lying and the US Postal Service as a rural delivery associate which will involve way less lying.

I never finished my Associates (a few credits shy), but I would advise to at least go for a Bachelor's Degree. Just make sure you get a degree in a field in demand, with a job that you would be happy performing. There are a lot of jobs out there that require a four year degree, and you would be narrowing your opportunities if you did not get one.

I have regrets about finishing my degree, I know it's never too late, but frankly it would be a waste of money in my current situation. I should have taken more courses during my military career, but I was a lazy, stupid fuck back then. Thankfully, my military background and training has my career on the right path.