The cost of college can range from $60,000 for a state university to four times as much at some private colleges. The total student debt in the U.S. now tops credit card debt. So a lot of people are asking: Is college really worth it?
There are several famous and staggeringly successful college dropouts, including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison. You may not end up with fat wallets like them, but Dale Stephens says you can find a different education path.
Stephens, founder of UnCollege.org and author of a new book, Hacking Your Education, challenges people to learn differently, away from a school campus.
"When you think about education as an investment, you have to think about what the return is going to be," Stephens tells NPR's Renee Montagne.
Stephens points to an alternative self-education system by taking responsibility for learning on your own and using networking to your advantage. He also says school just isn't for everyone.
"I left school because I didn't feel like school was an environment that left me free to learn," says Stephens, who dropped out of college.
His book explores why and how to ditch the cost of tuition and find a personal educational system.