Is college worth it?
John has said since 2012 that college is overpriced but probably still worth it, judging it by more than income. Hank called it a good deal in 2015, but from 2017 says it grows less worth it every year as costs rise, and worries about students left with loans but no degree.
Axis: worth it ... not worth the cost
Positions by date: 12 records in 12 videos. The position did not change in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-08-11 | first on record | John says skating through college is easy but ignoring academics is a mistake, and that college's value is an in-between space of freedom to choose what to do. | College Advice From an Expert 00:00:37 |
| 2012-08-21 | restate | John: a reasonably good accredited college is criminally overpriced but probably still worth it, and in the end it is about becoming a better observer of the universe, not income. | Is College Worth It? 00:01:59 |
| 2019-02-19 | restate | John says that to maximize lifetime income you probably shouldn't get a liberal arts degree, but income is not the only metric for judging the quality of a human life. | Battling Apathy and Searching for Meaning on Question Tuesday 00:01:56 |
| 2025-08-05 | restate | John says neither of his majors was necessary but all his classwork was: with final papers in sociology or anthropology he would be just as informed. | ONE TAKE JOHNNY 00:09:14 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-12 | first on record | Hank says that even at inflated prices college is still a good deal, beating the stock market, but the real question is whether it could be a better deal and not about maximizing revenue. | Why is College So Expensive? 00:03:34 |
| 2017-08-11 | restate | The description says college is, on average, very worth it, but as it gets more expensive it becomes less likely to be worth it every year. | Life is not a Job Training Program video description |
| 2020-07-31 | restate | Hank concludes that, almost by definition, college gets less worth it every year. | Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb 00:00:00 |
| 2020-11-13 | restate | The description says education gives shared knowledge that helps people work together more effectively, which Hank thinks is one of the main benefits of college education. | How We Teach: Individualist Stories video description |
| 2021-09-03 | restate | The description says the ASU collaboration revealed failings of higher education: many people get loans but no degree, and there are better ways to include more people and lower costs and barriers. | What the Heck am I doing? video description |
| 2022-03-25 | restate | Hank says being unable to make an informed decision about one of life's most important decisions is a big reason so many students end up with loans but no degree. | US College Students Need Help 00:01:27 |
| 2022-06-03 | restate | Hank says the country must tackle both the student loan crisis and the dropout crisis, not just with one-time debt forgiveness but by supporting students working to better their lives. | What Everyone's Getting Wrong About Student Loans 00:03:24 |
| 2024-01-05 | restate | Hank worries about a general attack on higher education, enabled by the industry's inability to control its costs, while public talk turns to culture-war nonsense instead. | I'm Scared of 2024...So Here's 3 Optimistic Thoughts 00:01:03 |