I took a significant pay cut to return to school in my late 20’s and finish my advance degrees because I never saw my career in tech as anything other than a (largely frustrating) detour to pay off debts for my inadvisable choice to get my bachelors at an expensive private uni. But I had that privilege because of the opportunities afforded to me in and after college. Higher education as a function of economic class is regressive, not only for individuals, but for our civilization.
I agree that the four-year degree as the gold standard is problematic, but (as you point out) regarding university as mere job training to earn a living is worse; it’s a sign of a culture more devoted to surviving late-stage capitalism than progressing.
