Is college worth it? This quiz shows the reality.

[LevelUP]

Is college worth it? This quiz shows the reality.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/...orthwhile/

There shouldn’t be a paywall for U.S. visitors, but if there is, you’ll still be able to see the quiz questions. The quiz won’t function properly, but you can view the answers later in this thread.

Non paywall link
https://archive.vn/RCBL5

(Don’t scroll past the spoiler post below if you don’t want to see the answers beforehand.)

How many did you get right?

[MISin08]

4 -- I overestimated the annual cost

[Maltus]

It's behind a paywall :-(

[LevelUP]

It's behind a paywall :-(

Try clearing your cookies for that site.  It works for me, no paywall.

[Maltus]

It's behind a paywall :-(

Try clearing your cookies for that site.  It works for me, no paywall.

Nope, maybe it is my european IP - they keep asking me to pay in Euros ;-)

[ReyMysterioso]

SPOILER ALERT!!! Don't read below this line if you want to take the quiz. If you want to know what information was behind the paywall, read on.






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1. What share of U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree say their education was not helpful in preparing them for a good-paying job?

• Answer: Around 17%
  
• Note: Despite the rising cost of tuition, the vast majority of graduates still feel their degree was a necessary step toward their current earnings.
  

2. In the 1970s, a young man in the U.S. with a degree earned about 20% more than one without. Today, young men with a degree:

• Answer: Earn 70% more
  
• Note: This is often referred to as the "college premium." While tuition has skyrocketed, the gap between college-educated and non-college-educated workers has widened significantly.
  

3. In 1970, around 80% of young men in the U.S. with a college degree had a full-time job. What is that percentage today?

• Answer: Around 80%
  
• Note: Despite fears of "underemployment" or AI taking jobs, the full-time employment rate for college-educated men has remained remarkably stable over the last 50 years.
  

4. The published tuition for an in-state student at a public college is around $12,000. How much do students actually pay on average?

• Answer: Around $2,500
  
• Note: This refers to "net price." After grants and scholarships (not loans) are factored in, many students pay significantly less than the "sticker price" you see on university websites.
  

5. Which college major provides the highest financial return across a person’s career?

• Answer: Engineering
  
• Note: While business and health are lucrative, engineering consistently ranks as the highest ROI major when balancing the cost of the degree against lifetime earnings.
  

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With the resources and strategies on this forum making degree attainment really affordable, I would much rather have a degree than not have one due to the flexibility they can provide. Now if you're paying B&M on-campus, residential full-time sticker prices, that equation becomes more difficult to reconcile. Trades make a lot more sense. But if you're paying $5000 or less for a degree without going into debt, there's little reason not to bank the credential - even if you do have a career in trades.

[LevelUP]

Don’t feel bad if you get some wrong. I was 3 out of 5.

One interesting thing is that a question said only 15% of people got it right, yet 70% of Washington Post readers did. So does that mean that if you subscribe to The Washington Post, you will become nearly five times smarter? 

[SteveFoerster]

Don’t feel bad if you get some wrong. I was 3 out of 5.

One interesting thing is that a question said only 15% of people got it right, yet 70% of Washington Post readers did. So does that mean that if you subscribe to The Washington Post, you will become nearly five times smarter? 

I'm sure many WaPo readers would like to think so!