It used to be said that without school you would get nowhere, but today the opposite is beginning to be true. There is a shortage of artisans, and parents are under pressure to get their children into apprenticeships. Under these circumstances, the question arises whether it is worth investing in higher education. When all is added up, it is certainly no small sum of money.
Indeed, one could argue that public schools, including universities, are free. However, tuition is far from the entire cost of studying. First and foremost, there is the actual application and travel for admission. This alone costs thousands of dollars. This amount will naturally increase as one enrolls in more schools in this way and increases the likelihood of being accepted at least somewhere.
But that is not all. Unlike secondary and primary schools, here students must purchase their own textbooks and other learning materials. Textbooks are not cheap. Of course, you can borrow them from the school library, but the problem here is that if everyone did so, there would definitely not be enough. Not to mention the fact that you would only have one semester\’s worth of books to check out, and you would probably need those books to study for final exams.
Of course, there are other expenses such as travel, lodging (mostly because you will be studying in a different city than the one you live in), food, etc. Given all this, is there a chance for a really good and, above all, well-paid job, or would it be better to do an apprenticeship and become a craftsman?
In fact, the answer is not clear. It varies from person to person and from field to field of study. For example, it is well known that there is still a shortage of doctors. On the other hand, a carpenter, for example, can make really good money if he really understands his craft. If his work is mediocre or below average, his profits will not be phenomenal either. That is, if he makes any money at all.