Once, the answer was automatic. You go to college, you get a job, and life sorts itself out from there. That story—the one your parents probably told you—is unraveling in real time. Now, Gen Z is asking: What am I really paying for?
What used to be a cultural rite of passage is turning into a luxury good with questionable ROI. Especially when you can learn Python, start a side hustle, and hit six figures—all without leaving your bedroom.
Four years, five figures of debt, and no guarantee of a job. That equation is getting harder to justify, especially in economies where internships pay more than entry-level roles and algorithmic content gets you further than résumés.
Even parents, long the biggest champions of degrees-as-insurance, are starting to hedge. The rise of bootcamps, remote work, and career influencers hasn’t just given options—it’s flipped the prestige script. A blue checkmark now says more than a bachelor’s.
For Boomers and Gen X, college wasn’t just about learning. It was identity, security, a status marker that opened doors. Now? It might signal student debt, indecision, or “couldn’t find a better path.”
The culture has shifted. Degrees don’t guarantee prestige anymore—they compete with portfolios, projects, and proof of work. The résumé line is less impressive than the GitHub repo.
There are still careers where the degree matters: medicine, law, engineering. And for many international students, college is a migration tool more than a classroom experience. But even that’s becoming more transactional. Less "dream school,” more “ROI calculator.”
At the same time, elite institutions still carry a brand halo—but mostly at the top end of social capital. Harvard still impresses. Your local overpriced liberal arts college? Less so.
The question “Is college worth it?” isn’t just about tuition. It’s about who gets to belong, what counts as achievement, and whether traditional institutions can still shape identity.
Gen Z isn’t anti-education. They’re anti-waste. Anti-fake merit. Anti-“you must follow this path to matter.” College used to be where you found yourself. Now it might be the thing you skip to start building yourself.
When the old signals stop working, new rituals emerge. A Substack newsletter is your thesis. A LinkedIn post is your seminar. A viral short-form video? That’s your final exam. Maybe college still has value. But it’s no longer the default answer—it’s a choice you now have to justify.
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