> University prof might not be a wealthy job, but class wise it is usually considered pretty high class. We're not exactly talking about the people putting 9-5 in doing manual labour at a construction site.

Ah, yes. Agreed.

> Maybe, but its still a large investment for questionable financial gain.

No no, I don't think you realize how cheap education can be where I'm from. Getting admitted is an entirely different matter. And don't ask me how, but here there's an inverse correlation between how good a university is and how expensive it is. Like, here the best universities seem to be run by the government and are therefore much cheaper than private universities. Which is why it is also very hard to get into those govt run universities.

Also — I think this is a cultural thing — generally people here tend to want go to college, even if ultimately there is little correlation between what they study and what they end up doing (atleast, for non-engineering non-medical courses).

And, college degree is kind of expected for any job here. I don't know if that's what's caused the cultural default of going to college, or vice versa.

So yes, lots of complex, and sometimes contradicting dynamics at play.

There are inefficiencies with such an attitude, but I guess it is what it is.

(And, I'm not an expert in any of what I said above, so take all of that with a pinch of salt.)