Is college worth the cost?

I’ve been thinking about my oldest daughter who will be college-age around 2025.

Currently, the average student leaves college with $30,000 of debt (that is inescapable even through bankruptcy) and many students have even more.

I’m thinking about the tradeoff. There are a lot of things that you can do for $30,000. You could take an unpaid internship. You could travel Europe. You could start a business.

The internet makes information essentially free. If you are motivated you can teach yourself practically anything.

I know that some will argue that you still need a diploma to get a job. In my field (technology) I know several people who are making six figures who don’t have a college degree; they taught themselves the job skills they are using.