The decision to attend college was a no-brainer during the second half of the 20th century. It almost assured higher earnings and job security. Tuition wasn’t even very expensive. None of this is true now.

The economic returns associated with a college degree are falling. Adding insult to injury, unemployment rates for recent graduates aren’t much lower than those with only a high school degree, especially for young men.

But this doesn’t mean college isn’t worth the expense for many people; it’s just that the decision has stopped being a no-brainer. Think of higher education like you would a risky asset in that the odds are it will pay off, but there are no guarantees. That may sound trite, but the financial stakes have never been higher, with the average cost to attend college topping $

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