Episode 06: Is College Actually Worth It Anymore?

Welcome back to The Logan Mascarenhas Show. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Before we jump in, a quick reminder, I want to build future episodes around your ideas and questions. So if you have a topic or a question about business and finance or mindset, send me an email at loganjoshuam10@gmail.com. I'll read those messages and we'd love to feature your ideas on the show. Now today, we're tackling a massive question that almost every high school student, young entrepreneur and parent wrestles with. It's college actually worth it anymore. For decades, the standard advice was simple. Go to high school, get good grades, take out whatever loans you need, go to your dream school, get a degree, and your success is guaranteed. But let's be real. That blueprint is completely broken and it's time to call out why. So let's start by addressing one of the biggest marketing traps fed to high school students, the concept of a dream school. Frankly, the whole dream school narrative is complete below me. Going $100,000 into debt just so you can wear a specific college hoodie or post a university in your Instagram bio is a terrible financial decision. Real-world clients and employers care about your actual skills and your character. Not the name stamped on a piece of paper. And let's call out the hypocrisy here. Society has completely normalized taking on tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt. People will tear you on for taking out massive loans for a dream school experience. But then turn around and frown on someone going to a community college. Think about how backward that is. Why is saving money and making a smart financial move look down on? But drowning in debt for the exact same general education classes is celebrated. Now, obviously if you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, a civil engineer, or a certified accountant, or something like that, college is legally required. You need that education. But even if you do need a degree, taking on insane debt for all four years is totally unnecessary. Why aren't more people weighing community college as their first move? You can let it go to a local community college, get your first two years of general education done for a tiny fraction of the cost, or even free sometimes through local programs, and then transfer to a four-year university to finish out your degree. You walk across the same stage and get the exact same diploma, but with a mountain of debt hanging over your head for the next 20 years. That's just smart business. Let's be honest about what the main point of education should be. Teaching a real tangible skill. If you're spending tens of thousands of dollars, you should walk out with a valuable skill set that allows you to create value in the real world. But nowadays, people try to justify a massive tuition and life altering debt by saying, "Oh, but it's a great networking opportunity," or, "Oh, it gives you a piece of paper that looks really good to employers." Frankly, taking on years of debt just for a networking opportunity or a piece of paper is a terrible trade. Think about how wild the student loan industry is. Society tells an 18-year-old who can't even get approved for a standard business loan because they don't have credit or income. That is completely normal to sign away $80,000 in compound interest debt for a degree they aren't even sure about. They turn into a massive predatory industry in and of itself. You do not need to go into debt to network. In 2026, you can network by reaching out to people on social media, attending events, building projects, and getting into the room through sheer hustle. And if your goal is business, you definitely do not need a business degree to succeed in business. Think about what you're actually paying for in a university business class. You're paying tens of thousands of dollars to read textbooks and listen to lectures on concepts that are available online right now for completely free. Between podcasts, YouTube, free online courses, books like the Personal MBA, and real-world execution, all the foundational information is at your fingertips. Instead of taking 40,000 or 80,000 and giving it to a university to teach you about business, imagine taking a fraction of that money and actually investing it directly into your own business. You learn by running ad campaigns or pitching real clients or launching real products and making real mistakes. Direct experience in the market will teach you more in six months than seeing an intellectual for four years ever will. So at the end of the day, a degree is just a tool, not a goal and take it. Don't let society or the hype of a dream school pressure you into making a financial move that locks you into debt for the next 20 years. Focus on learning real skills, play the long game, and execute on what matters. If this message resonated with you today, share it with a classmate or friend who's wearing their options right now. Leave a review, hit subscribe, and don't forget to send your questions and episode ideas to loganjoshuam10@gmail.com. Thanks for listening guys, and I'll catch you in the next episode.