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It's negotiable for me! But only if there's a real plan in place for an alternative.

I agree, it's not a necessity but I really enjoyed my college experience (maybe a little too much LOL)...granted my current job does not require a college degree and I can't find any in my town that I'll actually use my degree. DH is 31 and a sophomore in college, he actually made more money before working in the oil fields but didn't want to be away from his family, so it's worth it to have him home now. Just depends on the situation

They can skip if they're on a path to doing something that really doesn't require a degree. But if they're at the end of high school, and unsure what to do, I would definitely want them in college.

In my culture I say no. Everyone ends up a stay at home mom, so I really see no point in wasting 4 years of time and money to be a stay at home mom. Both my parents did not go to college so I am kind of against college anyways. I went and am glad I did, but I dont plan on being a stay at home mom.

It's non-negotiable for us. Neither of us would be where we are without a degree by a long shot. My specific degree didn't exactly help with my specific job, but just having a degree made a huge difference.

@anonysquire: I hear what you are saying, but I really don't think a college degree is a waste for a SAHM. 1) what if you don't get married and have kids right away anyway? 2) most people I know work for a while before having kids. 3) I learned a lot and had a lot of life experiences in college, so even if I never "use my degree" again I still think it was worth it. But I wanted to go to college, I could see not forcing the issue if the kid just really didn't want to, I guess. What about for boys, though?

Our situation in NZ is a little different so I say no.
We don't have colleges, we have universities and polytechnics. Students either go to university to complete a three year bachelor degree (subject specific) and additional higher qualifications; or they go to a polytechnic or other tertiary provider to complete trade courses with 1 year certificate or 2 year diploma courses.
With the options post high-school being so subject-specific, I'm not a fan of ushering kids into tertiary institutions just so they are "doing something"; there's not the same opportunity to do a generalised programme as there is in the American system. I'd much rather my future children took a gap year to decide what they really wanted to do rather than take a tertiary course that they weren't sure about.

@anonysquire: I guess that makes sense-- most people I know (here in the Northeast) don't have babies until their late twenties at the earliest anyway, so I see the difference.

I went to college but I am a SAHM, so I'm not sure if in all cases its worth it because I have huge student loans that my DH is responsible for paying now.

College is an expectation for LO; like it was for both of us. It's basically non-negotiable. Education is never a waste. Even if you are a SAHM or plan to be one; the reality of life is that your husband could leave you, could die, could become disabled, or simply might not earn enough to support everyone. There are some people who are financially successful without a college education, but the majority of employers and jobs require a BA just to get your foot in the door.

I do think the entire US college system needs to be overhauled though. I'd like to see tuition addressed, as well as more regulation of fly-by-night "career schools" like Kaplan, U. Phoenix and other for-profits which are not the same as traditional college/university.

Non-negotiable. DH didn't go to college...his family never talked about it or saved a dime for their childrens education. He now works insane hours but he does a job that requires a bachelors degree, he just lucked out and became certified through the company he is with. I almost completed my bachelors but I didn't know what to do with my degree so I took a different path and once that happened, I had DS. My parents expected me to go to college but they paid for my 3 older sisters college educations and by the time it was my turn, they were out of resources.

I want my children's lives to be full of opportunity. I want them to be independent so I really don't think college is a waste of time. A degree to fall back on us a sense of security and the experience is worth it.

I believe university education is a valued extension of learning and maturing. The whole process launches kids into adulthood and further prepares them with a whole bunch of skills/strategies that will highly likely benefit them. Unless there was a huge reason not to go--such as recruited in high school, straight into a field of gifting-- then, it's a must-do.

*Sidenote re: articles: I do think there is a college bubble and some courses are a waste of time. But I do think the college dropout millionaire is an exception and I started reading Steve Jobs' biography...he and a bunch of Siliconers came across great intellectual opportunity in their youth. I think most of our Joe Averages will need college to advance themselves into a good place unless they are accelerating in other ways in high school.

It's non-negotiable for us. Unless you have CRAZY talent and skill in an area that doesn't always require a college degree -- like computer programming -- or a trade like auto repair, I think it's almost impossible these days to get a job without a college degree. I don't think that the benefits of college necessarily equate to what they should these days -- a higher salary, better opportunities -- but unfortunately it is what it is. It's hard enough to find a job, I wouldn't want LO to have one more stumbling block. Of course, a lot can change in 18 years, so we'll see where the world is then.

I'd say it's pretty much non-negotiable to us, unless there is a really good reason/alternate plan. While I am not, and probably won't use my degree going forward - I think the college experience is invaluable. I lived on my own, managed my life, traveled, was able to navigate relationships without my parents around, etc. I did work for a few years after college at good jobs that I wouldn't have had if I didn't have a college degree, and of course those experiences were important even if they didn't end up building up to a lifelong career. I feel like even though I don't 'use' my degree in the workforce, I use the things I learned in and out of the classroom everyday.