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

Sometimes, it depends on the degree. Some college degrees are important to society, such as medicine, engineering and other STEM degrees, whereas other degrees that could be learned by apprenticeship are less important.

Look, you're essentially saying "college is worth it if it makes money," and that's exactly the problem. You're reducing education to economic utility, and it's backwards. First, who decides what's "important"? We've devalued teaching, social work, and humanities while we're desperate for those skills. Second, your STEM argument ignores that plumbers and electricians often out-earn engineers without six figures of debt. Third, apprenticeships don't require four years of prerequisites—they get people earning immediately. And honestly? Most entry-level jobs requiring degrees don't actually need them. We're gatekeeping opportunities, not ensuring quality. The real issue isn't which degrees matter—it's that we've made college the only passport to a decent life when it shouldn't be.

Well, if college was free then it would be worth it for everyone. College is only worth it if you can actually pay off the debt it gives you with the degree it gives you. Subjects like medicine and sciences require study, whereas many practical jobs can be taught on the job.

That "free college solves it" argument ignores the actual problem. Even free, you're still spending four years not earning, not building real skills. A kid could apprentice, make $40k a year for four years, graduate debt-free with $160k in the bank and a trade. That's $160k ahead of the free college student who's just starting entry-level. And your premise is wrong—medicine requires study, but so does mastering HVAC or electrical work. You're romanticizing classroom learning over hands-on expertise. The real issue isn't cost, it's that we've convinced everyone college is the only legitimate path. It's not. We need both routes equally respected. Until we do, college stays overrated regardless of price.

College is not and should not be the only legitimate path. It should be to study for jobs that actually require a large amount of study. Jobs that can be learned vocationally should be learned vocationally.

You're actually right on that—and that proves my point. If college should only be for jobs requiring extensive study, then most people shouldn't go. But here's what's happening: employers demand degrees for jobs that don't need them. A bank teller now needs a bachelor's. Administrative roles? Same thing. We've inflated degree requirements beyond what the actual work demands. So yeah, vocational training should be equal—but the system actively punishes people who choose it. Until employers stop treating a degree as a hiring filter instead of a real qualification, college stays oversold. The problem isn't education choices existing—it's that one path gets artificially privileged.