Emerging adults have difficult decisions to make regarding higher education. Proponents of college education tell us a degree means higher wages, while skeptics say educational expenses and delays in earning wages make college a poor investment.

It’s true: College is increasingly expensive and stressful as students try to compete with greater numbers of their peers to get into reputable schools, they face mental healthproblems at alarming rates, graduates face crushing debt, and the job market for college grads is bleak. Why should any of us want to endure college?