NBC News Poll: dramatic shift, Americans no longer see 4-year college degrees as worth the cost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should have to answer the following before you post in this thread:

A) Did you graduate from a 4-year college
B) Are you encouraging your kids to apply to 4-year colleges, and do you hope they are admitted

I went to a 4-year college. Both of our children went to a 4-year college. One child intend to get a DPT but the financial math didn’t make sense.

Spending $150,000+ for a 4-year degree isn’t necessarily a good investment, especially with the looming specter of an AI workforce disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. They are right. Aside from a small handful of professions, 4 year degrees are worthless. We need to move toward apprenticeship for office jobs.

There aren't going to be as many "office jobs" in the future pp, so no need for apprenticeships for them.

The jobs that will be there are things machines can't do: cut hair, fix cars and other machinery, repair roads, grow food, clean houses do lawn care etc... Essentially any job current low paid immigrants are doing.

Yes there will be. Spend some time listening to real AI experts and building RAG models. You will quickly learn that AI won’t replace humans but will augment work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And yet … applications to college continue to surge.

Because the kids who graduated in 2020-2026 are part of the post 9-11 baby boom, with enormous graduaing classes.

Class of 2026 is the peak of the baby boom.

Every class after that gets smaller.

By the time we get to the pandemic babies, we won't have enough students to fill all our colleges

The top 100 will still be full. The ivy+ will still be difficult acceptances. Maybe they go back to 6-7% instead of 4-5%. It matters not. Everyone who has experience in a job that pays over 200k for 40-50 hrs a week knows that the vast majority of these require a college degree.

I agree with you about the top 100 and suspect this will apply to schools that figure out how to brand their niche. Certain smaller schools will likely be okay due to unique offerings. Any school that is small and too general will have issues, I bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s interesting that these results are read by most primarily as an indictment of colleges’ rising costs and not as hopelessness about the job market, the consolidation of wealth among a smaller and smaller group, and the efforts of corporations to slash labor costs.

Why do you think Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are telling kids they don’t need college degrees? Because college degrees have historically correlated with higher wages for workers and lower profits at the top. Why do you think we keep hearing about how AI is going to take all of our jobs? Because that gives companies cover to cut jobs and pay the people who are left less.

Look at the wording of the question: “worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime.” This isn’t just about college costs; this is hopelessness.

Yep and Elon Musk attended Penn. You know, since Penn accepted Elon, Donald 1 and Donald 2, and Ivanka, I think they should just stop. Kind of kidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And yet … applications to college continue to surge.

Because the kids who graduated in 2020-2026 are part of the post 9-11 baby boom, with enormous graduaing classes.

Class of 2026 is the peak of the baby boom.

Every class after that gets smaller.

By the time we get to the pandemic babies, we won't have enough students to fill all our colleges

The top 100 will still be full. The ivy+ will still be difficult acceptances. Maybe they go back to 6-7% instead of 4-5%. It matters not. Everyone who has experience in a job that pays over 200k for 40-50 hrs a week knows that the vast majority of these require a college degree.

The vast majority of college graduates will NEVER make 200k a year.

Yup. So many posters on here live in a bubble and it shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good. They are right. Aside from a small handful of professions, 4 year degrees are worthless. We need to move toward apprenticeship for office jobs.

We need to move away from office jobs altogether. AI will be replacing them all within the next 10 years.

[Anonymous]

There are so many scholarships and discounts to go to college. No one needs to be paying $$$ to go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College should be about learning, not about getting a job!

Then it should be free.

[Anonymous]

As a middle-class parent, it often feels like the entire system is stacked against us. My children are academically strong, but without paying for private K–12 schools, specialized extracurriculars, or competitive sports, their chances of getting into top colleges feel limited. And even if they do get in, without family connections they’re stepping into a job market with shrinking white-collar opportunities. Outsourcing and AI are only making high-paying jobs harder to find.

Raising a family has become a long, exhausting journey for the middle class. By the time we hope our kids can launch into adulthood, many of them can’t afford to live independently. With inflation rising and wages barely moving, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. I see colleagues delaying retirement because they still have to support their adult children. This is not what middle-class families expect after encouraging their kids to study hard, earn degrees, and become self-sufficient.

Why has higher education become such an expensive product for the middle class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. They are right. Aside from a small handful of professions, 4 year degrees are worthless. We need to move toward apprenticeship for office jobs.

There aren't going to be as many "office jobs" in the future pp, so no need for apprenticeships for them.

The jobs that will be there are things machines can't do: cut hair, fix cars and other machinery, repair roads, grow food, clean houses do lawn care etc... Essentially any job current low paid immigrants are doing.

Yes there will be. Spend some time listening to real AI experts and building RAG models. You will quickly learn that AI won’t replace humans but will augment work.

That's not the current plan of the billionaires though. I'm actually married to an AI expert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a middle-class parent, it often feels like the entire system is stacked against us. My children are academically strong, but without paying for private K–12 schools, specialized extracurriculars, or competitive sports, their chances of getting into top colleges feel limited. And even if they do get in, without family connections they’re stepping into a job market with shrinking white-collar opportunities. Outsourcing and AI are only making high-paying jobs harder to find.

Raising a family has become a long, exhausting journey for the middle class. By the time we hope our kids can launch into adulthood, many of them can’t afford to live independently. With inflation rising and wages barely moving, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. I see colleagues delaying retirement because they still have to support their adult children. This is not what middle-class families expect after encouraging their kids to study hard, earn degrees, and become self-sufficient.

Why has higher education become such an expensive product for the middle class?

Wages have been increasing faster than inflation for the last year+.

“ Wages have been increasing faster than inflation in the United States from July 2024 to July 2025, with nominal wages rising by 4.2% compared to an inflation rate of 2.7%, resulting in a 1.5 percentage point advantage for wage growth. This trend has been consistent since February 2024, with wage growth outpacing inflation each month. Real wages, which account for inflation, increased by $18 to $30 per week during this period depending on the measurement timeframe.”

We’re still in a bit of a hole after the runaway inflation a few years ago, but your statement isn’t at all true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College should be about learning, not about getting a job!

lol your thinking is 50+ years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a middle-class parent, it often feels like the entire system is stacked against us. My children are academically strong, but without paying for private K–12 schools, specialized extracurriculars, or competitive sports, their chances of getting into top colleges feel limited. And even if they do get in, without family connections they’re stepping into a job market with shrinking white-collar opportunities. Outsourcing and AI are only making high-paying jobs harder to find.

Raising a family has become a long, exhausting journey for the middle class. By the time we hope our kids can launch into adulthood, many of them can’t afford to live independently. With inflation rising and wages barely moving, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. I see colleagues delaying retirement because they still have to support their adult children. This is not what middle-class families expect after encouraging their kids to study hard, earn degrees, and become self-sufficient.

Why has higher education become such an expensive product for the middle class?

Wages have been increasing faster than inflation for the last year+.

“ Wages have been increasing faster than inflation in the United States from July 2024 to July 2025, with nominal wages rising by 4.2% compared to an inflation rate of 2.7%, resulting in a 1.5 percentage point advantage for wage growth. This trend has been consistent since February 2024, with wage growth outpacing inflation each month. Real wages, which account for inflation, increased by $18 to $30 per week during this period depending on the measurement timeframe.”

We’re still in a bit of a hole after the runaway inflation a few years ago, but your statement isn’t at all true.

Well I just compare the data in Indeed, your statement isn't true for W2. if anything, probably those Tech Bros gambling in Stock markets and Cryto markets are making big time yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a middle-class parent, it often feels like the entire system is stacked against us. My children are academically strong, but without paying for private K–12 schools, specialized extracurriculars, or competitive sports, their chances of getting into top colleges feel limited. And even if they do get in, without family connections they’re stepping into a job market with shrinking white-collar opportunities. Outsourcing and AI are only making high-paying jobs harder to find.

Raising a family has become a long, exhausting journey for the middle class. By the time we hope our kids can launch into adulthood, many of them can’t afford to live independently. With inflation rising and wages barely moving, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. I see colleagues delaying retirement because they still have to support their adult children. This is not what middle-class families expect after encouraging their kids to study hard, earn degrees, and become self-sufficient.

Why has higher education become such an expensive product for the middle class?

Wages have been increasing faster than inflation for the last year+.

“ Wages have been increasing faster than inflation in the United States from July 2024 to July 2025, with nominal wages rising by 4.2% compared to an inflation rate of 2.7%, resulting in a 1.5 percentage point advantage for wage growth. This trend has been consistent since February 2024, with wage growth outpacing inflation each month. Real wages, which account for inflation, increased by $18 to $30 per week during this period depending on the measurement timeframe.”

We’re still in a bit of a hole after the runaway inflation a few years ago, but your statement isn’t at all true.

Oh wow a whole year! That should really go far!

Honest question: are you trolling or are you really this stupid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. They are right. Aside from a small handful of professions, 4 year degrees are worthless. We need to move toward apprenticeship for office jobs.

There aren't going to be as many "office jobs" in the future pp, so no need for apprenticeships for them.

The jobs that will be there are things machines can't do: cut hair, fix cars and other machinery, repair roads, grow food, clean houses do lawn care etc... Essentially any job current low paid immigrants are doing.

Yes there will be. Spend some time listening to real AI experts and building RAG models. You will quickly learn that AI won’t replace humans but will augment work.

That's not the current plan of the billionaires though. I'm actually married to an AI expert.

So you don’t actually know what you’re talking about.