On: US Household Debt Surpasses 2008 High

[irrational]

Because there are almost no jobs available that pay more than minimum wage that do not require a college degree.

[runT1ME → irrational]

Except, you know...software engineer, IT, DevOps, Infosec, WebDev, etc.

[alistairSH → runT1ME]

1. Those are a very small portion of the total available jobs. Even if every 18 year old had the aptitude, there aren't enough of those jobs.

2. It's a LOT easier to get into all of those fields with a relevant degree. As noted elsewhere, a degree is a strong signal that you can perform at least some of the work.

[opportune → runT1ME]

This is true on an individual level but not a macro level. Not everybody can be a developer or IT professional. The market just can't support that.

[subterfudge4 → opportune]

Then these people probably should not go to college in first place and instead become plumbers or car mechanics.

[runako → runT1ME]

Most companies that hire for those jobs in practice require a college degree to get to the interview stage.

Also: youth with nontraditional backgrounds (e.g. women, ethnic minorities) obviously begin the IT hiring process at a disadvantage. Having a 4-year degree can level the playing field with "traditional" applications possessing only a HS diploma.

[nugget → irrational]

America is one of the most entrepreneurial countries on earth. There are plenty of fields that you can enter with no college degree and build your way up to a great living. Even for very "white collar" jobs we are starting to (slowly) move away from a pedigree-based economy towards a skills-based economy.