06/15/2026
As with most things regarding financial returns, it depends on many factors. Overall the return on investment is still higher. The more you can save on college costs, the better.
This tends to be a SENSITIVE topic, so please read the caption here!
There are two things I want to talk about here: The data behind this decision, and the personal implications. BOTH are important.
Starting first with the data, we need to think about the decision to pursue college as an investment. It might feel "wrong" to view a big life decision that way, but with how big of a problem student debt is, I think more people need to consider the cost AND the benefit of their degree before deciding to borrow for it.
On average, college has a positive ROI, meaning that it returns more than you spend on it in the long term. There is really no debating that based on the data that people who hold bachelor's degrees on average make $65k per year and those who don't make $39k per year. An investment in education opens up job opportunities with higher compensation, so if you want higher compensation, it's worth considering.
What those numbers DON'T tell us is that you can't just slap an average on everyone's situation and call it a day. Every average has underlying data behind it, and there will be people who are higher and lower than the average. Not all bachelors degrees are created equal and they shouldn't be treated as such.
Studying engineering at MIT vs. studying English at a public institution are going to have very different ROIs. Not to say you should or shouldn't do either, but you need to consider that your potential salary after isn't just going to be the bachelors degree national average, but rather a product of your school, major, and your own ability to turn that into a job opportunity. Afterall, you're not just a degree, you're a person.
There are also personal implications of this decision, which includes your intended career path (do you need college for it?), your access to funding from family, your access to scholarships, your options for colleges, and your desire to even attend college. All VERY important factors to consider in this decision.
College isn't a good or a bad decision - that's oversimplified. College on AVERAGE has a positive ROI, whether it's worth it for each individual will vary greatly!
- Matt
P.S. Car insurance rates have been up a LOT in the past year. If you haven't price shopped your rate in a few months, comment "car" and I'll send a quick quiz to you on messenger so you can see if you can save any money (free quiz, takes
