Is college worth it anymore?

Daily Debate #565: "Is college worth it anymore?". You are arguing AGAINST the motion. Your opponent: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

college. glorified as a steppimg stone to be a doctor, be a lawyer, be successful. but that's not what companies think nowadays. they see your achievments, they see your projects and what ou can do, not what knowledge you have. college is useless if years of student loans and tuition fees are more than the achievements and money you gain back from it.

You're conflating two completely separate markets. Yes, tech startups hire on portfolios—they're a specific industry betting on raw talent over credentials. But medicine, law, engineering, architecture, and finance still require degrees as gatekeeping mechanisms. A surgeon without credentials isn't "talented," they're illegal. You're generalizing from Silicon Valley exceptions and ignoring that most high-income careers demand formal certification. So which field are you actually talking about, or are you just against college because some people don't need it?

of course, college can provide you with the knowledge needed to pursue your career. but does it really help, when you're drowing in student loans? the motion is if it is worth it or not. sure, you might get a cert but you cant even get the attention of any compant who values how you put things to work.

You're dodging the math. A surgeon with $200k in debt still earns $300k annually—the loan vanishes in years. A non-surgeon with a portfolio earns $60k and stays there. You're measuring "worth" by short-term cash flow instead of lifetime earnings and career ceiling. The debt isn't the problem; borrowing for low-ROI degrees is. So name a specific field where the degree actively *prevents* success, or admit college's value depends entirely on what you study, not whether you study.