There is truth to what you say - but it's not absolute.
So very many students I knew when at University were surviving entirely off loans/debt, instead of having a job. That's one of the easiest ways for people to rack up 5-6 figures of "student" debt... even though a non-trivial amount was spent on Chipotle and Blaze Pizza... along with expensive apartments or dorms (all expenses the individual would incur regardless if they were a student or not).
Many people believe University (and therefore a degree) is an automatic door to a high paying job - yet fail to realize what your field of study is matters a lot. We almost shouldn't even offer student loans for anything outside of STEM, but even within STEM your job prospects are largely up to the individual.
University largely doesn't teach you how to do a job... it teaches you how to think. You spend a lot of time in your field of study thinking deeply about issues, ideas, past works, etc. None of which prepares you for your first day in the office.
University (and the college experience in general) is meaningful and powerful. I recommend it - but not with debt. Get a full-time job, and work your way through your degree program. It will take much longer to get your degree, but you will be a much more complete adult at the end, filled with equal parts life-experience and domain knowledge.
I'm pretty sure people already know how to think. And IIRC tests of critical thinking (not subject specific) to college seniors and freshmen there's not convincing evidence that college really does that much. https://opportunityamericaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017... - also 4 years of anything tends to make an 18-22 year old a bit older and wiser.
A meta argument - colleges are at least halfway competent at assessing critical thinking, and if they were good at improving critical thinking then you'd expect to hear from the unis that can prove they did a good job, and you'd get more than just a slogan. Playing League of Legends also has a bit of face validity to any claim that it improves teamwork, problem solving, decision making under pressure, etc.
When I say "teach you to think", I don't just mean critical thinking. I mean the entire "mind" experience.
Being forced to take subjects you have no interest in, and to do well you must think about them deeply. This expands your mind, and teaches you how to approach things you find boring, have little interest in, and/or don't want to do. Someone is there to hold you accountable for your learning, knowledge and work - all things you must learn to rationalize and do on your own.
Many like to say "when am I ever going to use X?", failing to understand not all of the value is in that particular subject - instead it's the complete experience.
On reflection, I found some of my most mundane classes to be the most impactful on my life, such as Film Appreciation or Theory of Criminality. These challenged my beliefs and assumptions, expanded my thoughts, and forced me to communicate (vocally and in writing) why I held them. Instead of just "knowing" something, I was challenged to think about and understand why.
You will be a better human being, after surviving the experience. You will be more capable of adaptation, reasoning, critical thinking, personal discipline and more.
None of this are things you can't learn on your own, or experience somewhere else. But University is a really great way.
> Being forced to take subjects you have no interest in, and to do well you must think about them deeply.
It requires you to do the bare minimum memorization to pass the test. Deep thinking not included. Also you have 13 years experience f
Doing this already by the time you start college.
So very many students I knew when at University were surviving entirely off loans/debt, instead of having a job. That's one of the easiest ways for people to rack up 5-6 figures of "student" debt... even though a non-trivial amount was spent on Chipotle and Blaze Pizza... along with expensive apartments or dorms (all expenses the individual would incur regardless if they were a student or not).
Many people believe University (and therefore a degree) is an automatic door to a high paying job - yet fail to realize what your field of study is matters a lot. We almost shouldn't even offer student loans for anything outside of STEM, but even within STEM your job prospects are largely up to the individual.
University largely doesn't teach you how to do a job... it teaches you how to think. You spend a lot of time in your field of study thinking deeply about issues, ideas, past works, etc. None of which prepares you for your first day in the office.
University (and the college experience in general) is meaningful and powerful. I recommend it - but not with debt. Get a full-time job, and work your way through your degree program. It will take much longer to get your degree, but you will be a much more complete adult at the end, filled with equal parts life-experience and domain knowledge.