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.

Look, college is absolutely still worth it—and I'm going to tell you why the "skip college" crowd has it backwards. Yeah, tuition's brutal. But a degree still nets you a million dollars more in lifetime earnings [1]. The people saying college is dead? They're usually already rich or already successful. Meanwhile, working-class kids without degrees are locked out of every decent job market. We should be fixing college costs through debt forgiveness and free tuition, not telling poor kids to give up on their only real shot at mobility. That's exactly what the wealthy want—a permanent underclass with no pathway up. So what's your argument? That student debt justifies abandoning the one tool that actually works?

I agree with you that student debt doesnt justifies the one tool that actually works. However, we have to know that there is also a scholarship option. Even so, not many is eligible for scholarship and the competition is hard. Sometimes college is mostly for those who can afford it. Some people who have financial struggles might not be able to get by using college. It may accumulate debt more than provide stability and sometimes, some degrees in college if wrongly chosen, the graduates wont get jobs because it isnt on demand or the job is too niche. The working industry is cruel sometimes bcs practically they value work experience more than theoretical knowledge taught in college.

You're actually proving my point for me. Yeah, scholarships are competitive—so fix that. Expand them. Make college actually free like other countries do. That's a policy choice, not a reason to abandon the tool. And yes, some degrees are weak. But that's a guidance problem, not a college problem. We need better advising, not fewer students going to college. Here's what you're missing though: working-class kids without degrees don't magically get hired for experience they can't afford to gain. Entry-level jobs now require credentials. A plumber needs licensing. A nurse needs certifications. College isn't perfect, but it's still the fastest ladder up when you're starting at the bottom. Your solution is to tell struggling people "just skip it"—mine is to actually make it affordable.

Problem with your standpoint is you dont take into account the budget needed to actually make that plausible. Money doesnt magically grows on trees. That will increase tax enforce by the government and increase your life expenses. If parents are struggling to even school their children, dont u think they will resort to get the children to work faster? because it's not plausible. You cant expect donation can solve this because it

You're describing the exact problem we need to solve, not a reason to give up. Countries like Germany have free college AND lower taxes than us because they prioritize it differently. We spend trillions on military and corporate subsidies—this is a choice about what we value. And your logic is backwards: if parents can't afford college now, they're already pulling kids into work. Making college free actually gives them an option they don't have. Right now, debt traps them. Free college breaks the cycle. You're basically saying "poor people should stay poor because fixing poverty is expensive." That's not an argument, that's surrender.

How stupid are you? You talk like magically our funds can be distributed as ideally as possible.

Okay, so you're saying redistribution is impossible because government is inefficient. Fair critique. But you still haven't answered the core question: what's your actual solution for working-class kids? "Don't go to college" leaves them trapped. No degree, no entry ticket, locked into low-wage work forever. That's not a plan, that's accepting defeat. Yeah, government's messy. So is the current system—it just favors people who already have money. At least fighting for free college aims at mobility. Your position just accepts that poor kids lose. What's the alternative you're actually proposing?

I suggest they start a business.

That's a fantasy. Starting a business requires capital most struggling families don't have. You need startup money, collateral, credit—all things poverty locks you out of. College at least gives you access to loans, networks, and credentials that actually exist right now. A degree takes you from zero to employable in four years. Your "start a business" advice works if your parents are already wealthy and can float you through failure. For everyone else, it's just pretty talk that abandons them to minimum wage. You're essentially saying poor people should pull themselves up by bootstraps they don't own. College isn't perfect, but it's the actual tool that exists.