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> People go to college and invest years in an education that they grind out day in and day out because they feel ... there is value in the long term effort.

Many go to college simply because their lives will not feel complete until they can study certain subjects at the hands of masters. Much like how entrepreneurs feel their life will not be complete until they try to build that product; even knowing the odds are against them seeing it become a success.

I would argue that the rest go because they've been pressured to do so, not because they see a real long-term benefit in their actions. There is a lot of negativity towards those who do not have degrees. Getting a degree is needed to fit in and not become a social outcast.

People who make poor lifestyle choices do have their own fair share of pressure and negativity, but, unlike those without degrees, we generally accept them in our society.

Nobody is going to pass up the world's best programmer because he has a few extra pounds on his person. Lots of people would pass over the world's best programmer because he doesn't have a degree.



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