I'm in my fourth year at the University of Minnesota, studying computer science and engineering. It's been very good for me, especially as it is a top 20 engineering school in the US, while total cost of living/tuition is only about $25k/year. The average salary for a first year grad with my degree, from my school is $65k. Right now, I'm 19 years old, and I'm making about $50k/year salary as a software engineering intern. When my internship ends on Friday, I am hired as an associate, to work part time during school and full time during breaks. Like others said, college is great/necessary if you're doing something like science/engineering/medical/lawer etc, but I see other people in more "general" majors graduate with no job and tons of debt. If you have the drive to go for a valuable degree, the sweat and tears will definitely pay off in the long run. My girlfriend is studying petroleum engineering, which is the highest paid job out of college. You can start at over $100k year if you're good enough. Aside from the money, I personally think that the jobs youll get with a degree will be much more fun and satisfying that a high school job.