[Rick Lee]

College tuitions are rising far faster than inflation because no one pays with their own money. It's all gov't. $$, loans and scholarships. And even if you finance your whole education and make it in four years, no one at age 18 understands how student loan repayment really works. You might see it as $500 a month, but expect to make $5k a month, so it looks cheap and easy. Colleges spend whatever the hell they want with zero austerity or cost controls, divide that amount by the number of students they have room for and call that the new tuition. And people line up to pay it. It's insanity.

I have no kids, but if I did, I want them to go into a field that will make a productive and happy member of society. Being well-rounded is the last reason in the world to go to college. It serves no one to have a a 23 yr. old kid working at Starbucks to pay back his $100k in student loans, while he's mad at the world because no one will hire him. I wouldn't wish that fate on the worst kid in the neighborhood. Far better to be an HVAC repair man or mechanic or do something that means you'll never be out of work and will have skills always in demand.