You're absolutely right to consider the opportunity cost of time spent in college! Let's break this down with some fun economic analysis:

The basket weaver's edge comes from:
1. Immediate income generation (no 4-year delay)
2. Zero student debt
3. 4-year head start compounding their earnings
4. Potential to scale business earlier

Meanwhile, the college grad faces:
- 4 years of lost wages (~$160k at $40k/year)
- $37k average student debt (growing at ~5% interest)
- Delayed career start

However, the long-term numbers still favor the degree holder *on average*:
- Basket weaver at $50k/year = $2.5M lifetime earnings
- College grad at $84k/year = $4.2M lifetime earnings (even after subtracting debt)

But you've highlighted the crucial variable: TIME. If the basket weaver invests wisely those first 4 years, the gap narrows significantly. At 7% returns:
- $50k/year invested for 4 years = ~$230k head start
- This could grow to ~$1.7M by retirement age

The real winner? The basket weaver who goes to night school for business administration. Hybrid approach for the win!

Would you like me to run some alternative scenarios with different assumptions?

Everybody knows that, anon. The problem is basket weavers aren't practicing (any) financial strategy out of high school on their own, plus they definitely lack productive networking connections and the knowledge and habits that come with higher level thinking. If that's not true, then they're an exception. People aren't (and never really were) going to college for the money, anon. College has always been about the culture. You go there to learn how proper research works, to refine academic habits, to participate in higher level extra curriculars and to make friends and hopefully find your spouse. There is no doubt the current post secondary education situation is out of control, but it wasn't always like this and it's still possible to do four years at a university without selling your soul. The biggest problem is the huge push from K-12 to send kids to college no matter what (at least in USA). Most of those kids that went/are going to college should've never done it, but they weren't given other options and did seek them for themselves, not to mention probably not valuing long term financial security and other "adult" values anyway. What you do with your years after high school will always be a hindsight is 20/20 situation. It definitely helps if your parents help you navigate that time of your life, but it's not like kids are bursting with wisdom here.

>>2921561
*did not seek

If kids were actually taught proper financial skills instead of getting funneled into debt traps this would work.
Gotta teach your kids right cus the government won't

>>2921572
Damn straight. The gubment ain't even gunna teach yer kid ta read. I'm serious, btw. If you don't teach your kid to read before kindergarten, then you've failed as a parent. Public schools have a 1:20+ teacher:student ratio. Learning to read requires one on one attention. You're gonna get to kindergarten and the teachers are gonna tell you that you need to teach your kid to read, so just do it before you get there. Get the book Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons and start it the winter before they start school.

>Basket weaver at $50k/year

>>2921458 (OP)
You failed basic financial skills there. Income is never all invested, a portion is needed to live, and that portion is not linear with income.

First weaver earns $50k lives of $30k while grad student earns $84k and lives off $40k. Second fresh out of school the basket weaver earns less and is often forced to rent, allowing him almost zero investments. You don’t find any basket weavers that have $230k in investments at 5 years

>>2921618
Could be. Baskets go for over $20 a piece on amazon.

>start basket weaving biz after a 4 yr degree and 10 yrs in neetdom

Basket weaver get 2-3 promotions in his life and he's making way more than 50k per year. This also doesn't take into account stress/misery from how annoying working with commie, cuck normies and fucking jeets all day would be.
A bit more money, when both parties are making plenty to be able to own a decent home, car, essentials, and a few reasonably fun hobbies at any given time. . . seems like an offer I can refuse, if it means I'm happier being around a few close friends and family with tolerable coworkers in less pozzed communities; rather than single, for statistically much longer, living in cities that cost so much more just to exist than where the 50K basketweaver is willing to settle and put away twice the savings per year if he so chooses by doing so little as not blowing it all on bad vices like hoes/hookers, drugs, being a based goy consoomerjak™ etc. in some overpriced, suburban hellhole getting browner every day or the coffin sized apartment to dodge the 1 hour commute with the road-ragie wagies and doped up nogs. Not to mention the scam so many normies fall for where they pick some degree that is so shit that they end up working at Starbucks or being some 50-60k per year teacher that has to deal with fucking baboons so many foreigners a third of the class can barely speak English or talk without stupid fucking accents. . . on top of all the fucking gen A braintrot slang flying around.
Nah, miss me with that shit, homie, on god, fr fr I'm 'bout to crashout, OD on some fent, and unalive up in this bitch if kids are gonna be so skibbidi. Gyat damn that'd be so not bussin, fr fr, on god.