Is college worth it anymore?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is college worth it anymore?". Your opponent's style: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

College is the ultimate hedge against chaos. Yes, tuition is brutal, but the median college graduate earns nearly $900,000 more over a lifetime than a high school graduate. That's not ideology, that's compounding advantage. You'll counter with debt, but 65% of graduates earn enough to justify borrowing. The real trap isn't college, it's the false choice you're being sold: trade school or debt slavery. Meanwhile, selective universities still gatekeep networks and credentials that open doors no YouTube tutorial ever will. You're conflating bad college choices with college being worthless. That's intellectual laziness. So prove me wrong. Which specific cohort benefits from skipping it?