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Comment by tsotha | Hacker News Reader

Why in the world would you go to a college that costs that much if you weren't rich?

Right? And if I had to make the decision now, I wouldn't do it. But when you're 18, your parents opinion carries alot of weight- and I had parents that were telling me- STEVE you absolutely cannot be successful without a degree. A degree is everything. It's everything!

And as an ignorant 18 year old, I had no idea what a $175,000 loan really meant. Everyone does it, right? So it must not be that bad.

Well, I agree with your parents in that you need to get a degree. But for most jobs a degree from pretty much anywhere is fine. For technical jobs there are tons of good programs at state schools. That's just too much money.

Disagree. You can be wildly successful by just hustling. I am.

Your top end is limited unless you start your own company.

Not true. Join a startup. Or better yet, learn how to sell yourself. You'll never need a degree if you can sell your passion.

Co-op program. And networking.

A lot of companies see RIT as a huge talent pool, and dedicate quite a bit of recruiting resources to look for potential interns and full-timers. Plus, you'll find peers that you can use to develop your professional network.

>A lot of companies see RIT as a huge talent pool, and dedicate quite a bit of recruiting resources to look for potential interns and full-timers. Plus, you'll find peers that you can use to develop your professional network.

That's too much money to spend on a technical degree. You could make the argument Harvard or Yale is worth that kind of money because your contacts are with people who are going to be senators and CEOs. But a place like RIT? $44k/yr is way too much money for what you're going to get.

> way too much money for what you're going to get.

YMMV.

Because of the fear that if you didn't go you would never have the opportunity to become rich, or even to become middle class.

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