Interesting analysis, although I don't think it fairly takes into account what the real situation would be for someone deciding between high school and college. I would guess the vast majority of people don't just have $90,000+ lying around to use for college. They would have to take out the money in (probably government subsidized) loans (or work while they're in college, although it makes the calculations easier if you assume it's all loan money), so you'd have to account for paying back the loans. Similarly, for the "high school dropout" case they also wouldn't have an equivalent $90K+ sitting around to invest in the stock market. I'm not sure really sure how to handle that case though since you can't just borrow money to invest in the stock market. Although your analysis is enlightening, I just don't think it corresponds to the real situation most people would be in. I'm open to ideas though for how to take that into account. :)

Awesome analysis, I love having stats like this to back myself up when people think I'm nuts for saying shit like college is worthless. Even tho I didn't pay for college, it was the biggest waste of time ever, and all I learned were a few things for trivial pursuit. Now that I do the hiring, I don't even look at the college part of anybody's resume, they may as well tell me they can recite the alphabet backwards.

I agree with Jason in that the problem is either the college grad or HS drop-out finding this extra cashflow to invest. I suggest robbing banks or selling sperm (that is because I like dangerous situations and touching myself) to raise extra cash. You could also get more than one job...or even a job, but that is no fun.

I think a more appropriate thing would be to go to college, take out every single loan you could get your hands on (especially the gov subsidized, b/c that generally has lower interest rates) and invest a vast majority of that loan money into stocks.

If you do your research upfront, the money you invest should yeild more return than the interest the loan itself accrues.

Plus, while you are in college, the loans don't accrue interest (generally). So, for the 6...I mean 4 years you are in college, all that invested loan money is EARNING money instead of costing you money. Sure you may have to live on steam and stolen ketchup packets from McD's...but being young is an adventure!!!

Those are my thoughts...but interest thought experiment, even though the underlying logic is weak. I agree with the philosophy that college isn't for everyone and is not needed to be successful. Success depends on the aptitude and drive of the individual.

To compare yourself to Bill Gates, Claude Monet, and Albert Einstein inter alios is preposterous. If you were that intelligent or that talented your gift would have been discovered a long time ago and you would have been sent to a school for gifted children... Oh wait, you would have dropped out of gifted school, but nevermind, Einstein himself was not regarded as a genius back when he was a child (so at least there's some hope for you). Speaking of Einstein, last time I checked he had a PhD in Physics and a PhD in Mathematics, which I believed he obtained from an university, not the school of hardknocks.

The most important thing to remember is that for every kid who drops out of college, starts his own company, and becomes a multibillionare, there are millions more who have to settle with low level blue collar jobs, like mixing concrete or flipping burgers at McDonalds. Sure, some are very succesful, but someone also wins the lottery every week.

"Once you grow older and have a spouse and children, you may not have that luxury. So college steals some of our most valuable years." Noone needs to marry and have children.

"You’d be hard pressed to find a successful individual who isn’t obsessed with learning." A valid argument. If you have a passion for something, and have a sense of direction life, college might just be a waste of time. But you will also need an entrepeneurial spirit, and the right personality. Losers with a passion for learning are a dime dozen just like recent college grads are.

I'm glad I went to college b/c at least now I don't have to make excuses for why I didn't college, like you.

I need some advice!I'm in my first semester of college, and I'm not doing so well, not because of too much partying, actually i never go out during the week at all, but basically because i have no ambition or interest in continuing school. My dad is self-employed, and I've worked with him for the past three summers. I have absolutley no idea what proffession I would like to practice, but I sure as hell don't feel like waking up at 6:00 every morning to go sit in some cubicle all day for nine hours. So I figure I might as well go work with my dad and eventually take over his company. I mean hell, he only works six hours a day and does'nt wake up until about nine(sometimes even later). Not only could I do the same thing, but I would also not have to listen to some other asshole boss me around all day. So the question is should I "drop out"(I would rather say no longer attend) of college? I've been seriously contemplating this since oh lets say the second week of school when I realized that college(not college life) really sucks. I mean its not like i would be missing out on anything. I would still be living in the same place(since where I live is only about a half hour from where my dad works and I could commute) and doing the same things on weekends, but I would'nt have to worry about studying and all that bullshit. And of course another benefit is that I would be making money now! Also, my dad makes an average of about $200,000 or more a year so I'd say that's not so bad eh? The only thing is I haven't told my parents about this yet, and I don't know how they're going to take it, hopefully they understang. I mean it sound like common sense to me! So once again, should I quit? I know it's all up to me in the end, but tell me what you think about this situation.

Since your dad seems to be an outside-the-box kind of guy already, with his business and lifestyle and all, I'm sure he'll be more open to your idea than most parents.

I want to chime in on this.

I always, well not always, but since I was 15, wanted to start my own company. That was my dream. I would literarly go and read books on famous business owners as a hobby in high school. It was my dream.

SO, when I got a full paid ride to a state University guess what I did... I turned it down.

Got kicked out of the house becuase of it, got laughed at, my GF at the time dumped me, but I had a dream.

Long story short, by the time I was 21 I had started and ran a successful computer company that made over 1 million a year in revenue.

By the time I was 22 I sold it, at least my share of it (I had a business partner) and I am basiclly retired. I am 23 years old.

Am I a millionare? Yes. Am I loaded beyond my wildest dreams, no. I still have streams of revenue coming in, because I bought real estate and did some other smart things with my money. I actually make more money per year now then I did when I had my company. But I don't technically work.

What am I getting at? A person is as strong as his dream. To this day I always strive to learn something new. I love to learn. I learn by doing.

I have a best friend, who is pretty smart as well. We were both in all AP classes in HS, he actually had a tad bit higher GPA than I did. He took the full ride and right now he is working for a healthcare service, answering the phones, making 29 grand a year and he left college with a business admin degree and with a 3.5 GPA.

I would get in sales before I went to college. Another good friend of mine is 3 months younger than me and runs, literarly runs a Nissan store, becuase he got in the business when he was 18 right out of high school. Makes about 180k a year.

Anyway, I'm done

i spend almost everyday in class wasting time, but if i drop out what am i going to do

Why not start a business while you're in school, and drop out when it needs more of your time?

For all the people that are trying to make a choice...

1. Do you want to quit college just because you don't like it, or because you have a plan to do something else?
2. Is your plan bullshit or have you actually floated it with some experienced people and done some investigation on what it would require?
3. Does your plan require or benefit from the college experience? 4. If you are not disciplined enough for college are you disciplined enough to carry out your plan?