The fact that lots of students still major in subjects that can be very worthwhile and valuable but lack obvious paths to financial success (e.g. most of Humanities and a lot of Social Sciences) indicates "making money" is not why they're there.
"Financial success" doesn't necessarily mean optimizing the total number of dollars in your income; it can also mean being able to do work that you enjoy while having a decent standard of living. If a college degree had no impact on your employment opportunities, how many students would still go?
Trade schools should be trade schools but the U.S. has a dearth of them and many that fit the description aren't good enough.
Which is the point. It's not that universities shouldn't exist, it's that they shouldn't be trying to serve both roles.
"Financial success" doesn't necessarily mean optimizing the total number of dollars in your income; it can also mean being able to do work that you enjoy while having a decent standard of living. If a college degree had no impact on your employment opportunities, how many students would still go?
Trade schools should be trade schools but the U.S. has a dearth of them and many that fit the description aren't good enough.
Which is the point. It's not that universities shouldn't exist, it's that they shouldn't be trying to serve both roles.