Your poll choices and explanations are quite narrow minded.
There is the possibility that someone who didn't/doesn't go to college could be self-educated to the point where attending college would be a complete waste of time and money.
For the record, I never even finished the ninth grade and I'm a better person for it.
College is only good for one thing: giving you the option of making more money in a field where prospective employers require a degree of some sort. It won't make you a better person and it won't give you access to any knowledge that wouldn't be available to you outside of an institute of "higher education".
I agree with you up to a point, but I wouldn't have said that college/university is only good if you want a degree. I personally want to go to university more to increase my knowledge range and depth more than to be a finished product when I leave, as it were. I know I'm in a minority when I say that, but I'm just pointing out that knowledge does have some sort of point for its own sake - not just for financial issues.
However your point about self-taught people is more than valid; I know many who are, and these people are often far more genuinely intelligent than people who can simply regurgitate previously indoctrinated principles and information. For example, I know a man who taught himself ancient greek in order to do a classics degree over the last few years.
It will however provide you with valuable resources, such as instructors, who will help you to learn. Depending on the complexity of the field, self-instruction may not be feasible or even possible. Having an experienced instructor can make all the difference.
Not quite so. Instructors tend to help people who have less desire to learn, ironically. I agree with you that if self-teaching is impossible, then instructors are better, but if you have a genuine interest to do something of your own, teachers can be more of a hinderance by imposing their values on your way of thinking - not a wholly useful or useless process.
Tom
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