The debate over the value of today's college degrees intensified Sunday after Kimbal Musk and Chamath Palihapitiya criticized the soaring costs, weak earnings, and cultural prestige associated with higher education.
Musk Says Electricians Out-Earn Most College Graduates
Musk reignited the debate over trades vs. college by sharing Palihapitiya's critique and urging young adults to pursue skilled professions.
"If anyone wants to make serious cash as a young adult, get a diploma as an electrician," Musk wrote on X.
He added, "You will crush 99.999% of college grads in short and long term compensation."
Screenshot From Kimbal Musk’s X Account
Chamath Calls US Degrees ‘Suffocating’ And ‘Worthless‘
Palihapitiya's post sharply criticized America's education culture, arguing that the system pushes students toward expensive degrees with poor economic returns.
"We have too many colleges graduating kids into suffocating student debt and worthless degrees," he wrote.
He said society celebrates a "BA," "Masters" or "PhD" without asking the essential question: "In what?"He added that the country would be stronger if more students pursued practical careers.
"This can happen by having the awareness, as a society, to celebrate the mechanic, nurse or electrician as much or more than the ‘Masters,'" he said.
"Mechanic, Nurse or Electrician >> Masters in a fringe degree + $200k in debt."
Student Loan Debt Crisis Deepened As Leaders Questioned College Value
In September, real estate investor Grant Cardone again argued that college wasn't worth it for most Americans, saying rising tuition, $1.7 trillion in student loan debt and weak job outcomes made degrees a poor investment.
He pointed to high dropout rates, underemployment among graduates and growing demand for trades, adding that AI was replacing skills traditionally learned in expensive degree programs.
He said only elite schools might justify the cost and compared student loan debt to modern-day slavery.
Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg similarly warned that the cost-value equation of college had begun to break down, citing soaring tuition, $1.77 trillion in student loan debt and majors that no longer led to stable jobs.
Mark Cuban said the value of college came from the learning experience itself, even for those who never finished and urged students to pick affordable schools to avoid heavy debt.
He pointed to community colleges as a smart, low-cost entry point and emphasized that, despite rising prices, higher education still tended to raise lifetime earning potential.
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