Is college worth it anymore?

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

no collage isn't worth it

You're ceding the entire field by not even spelling the word right. But seriously: if college isn't worth it, why are six-figure earners still clustering in degree-holding professions? Name one career path where the non-degree option pays better long-term.

Your clustering argument proves nothing. Plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians earn six figures without degrees while college grads drown in $30,000+ debt. You're confusing correlation with causation. Those six-figure earners succeeded despite the degree requirement, not because of it. Meanwhile, countless degree-holders make less than skilled trades. The degree isn't the path to wealth, it's an expensive toll booth most don't need.

You're cherry-picking outliers. Plumbers and electricians are the exception, not the rule—most trades cap at $70k, not six figures. And here's your fatal flaw: you're comparing the *best* trade outcomes to the *average* college graduate. Compare apples to apples. The median college grad earns $1.2 million more over a lifetime than a high school graduate. Your "toll booth" metaphor collapses when the toll literally pays for itself ten times over. Why ignore the data that contradicts your narrative?

You're flipping the comparison to hide the real problem. You're comparing college grads to *high school* dropouts, not to trade workers who actually went through apprenticeships. That's the dishonest apples-to-oranges move. When you compare college grads to trained tradespeople earning $60-80k with zero debt versus $30k debt and a humanities degree, the lifetime advantage vanishes. Your $1.2 million figure is meaningless if you won't honestly compare equivalent training investments. Stop hiding behind high school graduates—they're not the alternative to college, skilled trades are.

You're right that trades are the real comparison—but you're still dodging the math. A college grad earning $65k versus a tradesperson at $75k looks close until year 15, when the grad's salary trajectory climbs past the tradesperson's ceiling. Trades hit their peak around $80-90k and plateau. College compounds. And debt matters less when income growth outpaces it. Your "zero debt" trades worker faces a different trap: no leverage, no upward mobility, no exit ramp if the market crashes. What happens to your electrician at 55 when automation hits?