Your ponderings here are very valid and while I do endorse getting an accredited degree, I agree the cost is not representative to the benefit. Math seems to be one subject that requires the structure of a classroom setting to learn it best for many and all subjects for those, which do not self motivate well.
I myself am 43 with only one year worth of college credits. Everything I do was self taught and I hold no debt. Most of what I learned from attending college is forgotten.
I prefer to learn by my experiences and follow a more random path, researching as needed. You are correct that everything can be pretty much learned from researching online and there are a few platforms which offer free classes like Khan Academy, MIT and even Harvard offer a few.
The conundrum is whether the certification that proves your education, is worth the money. I don't believe it is, but the majority of higher level jobs require this proof of study. For example, many management positions require you to have a Bachelor's Degree. It doesn't matter if the major correlates to the job. This simply shows your employers that you know how to learn and you can stick it out and finish what you start.
The beautiful thing is many others are pondering this very question and change is happening as we speak.
Free higher education as a right has existed for decades in a small number of very successful countries and is starting to catch on around the world, including here in America. I believe New York just recently announced a program offering free College Tuition for its resident's. I am sure this is going to spread like wildfire.
Your daughter is going to have so many more options than have now. Hopefully this will make your decision much easier when the time comes.
Here are some resources to help your followers find some free courses.
http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses
Thanks alot for the resources. I think things will change in some ways. I am more into teaching through experiences. World schooling is an idea that my wife and I have considered.
When I finally held my diploma in my hand, I asked myself was that paper and what it represented worth $70k. I found it ridiculous to say yes.
I couldn't imagine paying $70,000 for anything myself. Growing up extremely poor has been a great teacher. I have lived my life without ever taking out a loan, using credit or even financing anything ever...I don't plan on doing any of these things in the future either.
My goal is to live moneyless. I have not quite done this, but I am about as close as a person can get to it and living comfortably enough.
Has your degree been of any genuine benefit?
Do you envision needing the degree in the future?
I find the moneyless idea interesting. On one hand I loathe money but on the other I know I can use it for a good purpose.
I can say yes and no to the question of whether or not it benefited me. When I got out of college I went to work in a warehouse. That's manual labor which I didn't need my degree for that. But after the warehouse I became an ESL teacher. Now in that context I can say having the degree helped. Plus I am certified to teach ESL.
I won't need the degree in the future because I plan on building my own means of living. At least that's my plan.
Since you mentioned being moneylesss I assume you have heard of Jacques Fresco and the Venus Project?
https://steemit.com/science/@thevenusproject/the-venus-project-resource-based-economy
Yes, I have heard of him and have researched The Venus Project a bit. I love the concept, but I haven't found a good resource describing the idea in fine detail. I think it's a bit too socialist, which lacks the freedom I desire. It requires you to provide a skill the whole needs, so you may get stuck doing a job that doesn't fit your personality, for example.
Don't forget that anything of value is currency, whether it is time or anything else given for something in return.
Money is simply a representation of whatever you need it to represent. I myself just trade the real thing(time/labor, skill/idea or product) rather than using a representation of those. Of course, the more you provide for yourself the less currency you require.
Money will never go away though, because as long as there are people that require more than they produce or give, there will be need for an alternate means of payment. Laziness or selfishness are not going away anytime soon.
So, I do not dislike money. I dislike the control of it by the few. Once everyone is living by the same rules, the needs of the many will be easier to acquire. Currency will have a true value instead of an artificial manipulated value.
The Free Market is simply the natural state of things. Once we find our way back to this, currency will again afford more.
The dollar is created by creating debt and that's an unsustainable system. We will soon have no choice but to change how our economy works. Of course, cryptocurrency is the next step of economic evolution. I hope the truly decentralized and anonymous ones gain ground and provide true anonymity, as that will greatly level the playing field.