006: The College Degree Scam – Why College Isn’t Always the Best Investment

Welcome back to I Call B****t, the show where we expose the fine print, the hidden catches, and the systemic nonsense designed to keep you broke. In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of the biggest financial traps in modern America: the college degree.

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What We Cover in This Episode:

• 🎓 The Inflation of College Costs – Why tuition prices have skyrocketed far beyond inflation.
• 📉 The Degree-Job Disconnect – Why a diploma no longer guarantees a well-paying job.
• 💸 The Student Loan Trap – How student loans have become a modern form of financial servitude.
• 🔨 The Skilled Trade Shortage – How high-paying careers in trades are in greater demand than ever.
• 📖 Alternative Education Paths – Microdegrees, apprenticeships, and vocational training as viable (and often superior) options.
• 📜 Real Stories – True accounts of people drowning in student debt despite doing "everything right."

Sources & Citations:

📚 Read more about the research and data cited in this episode:

• Federal Reserve Student Loan Report
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Job Outlook & Salaries
• TIME: The Truth About Degree Inflation
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Student Loan Crisis
• News.com.au: Why Young Australians Are Moving Away from Traditional Universities
• NY Post: Women Skipping College and Earning Six Figures in Trades

Listener Action Items:

✅ Consider alternative education paths – Vocational schools, apprenticeships, and trade certifications can be better investments than a traditional degree. ✅ Advocate for skills-based hiring – Encourage companies to value real-world experience over credentials. ✅ Support financial education in schools – The next generation needs to understand student loans before they sign up for them.

Connect With Us:

📩 Have a story about your college experience? Email us at [yourpodcast@email.com] or DM us on Instagram @ICallBSPodcast! 🎙 Next Episode: The 8 Glasses of Water Myth – Hydration & The Bottled Water Scam – Are we really supposed to drink that much water? And is bottled water actually cleaner than tap? (Spoiler: NO.) 🔔 Subscribe & Follow so you don’t miss it! #ICallBS #CollegeDegreeScam #StudentLoans #TradeSchools #AlternativeEducation #DebtCrisis #HigherEdScam