Degree or stereo?

Stereo.

I have a degree and would say magic beans

Depends on what the degree is in.  How about a degree in stereos? 

It's a wash if you take the corner cases.

A good stereo will provide hours of listening pleasure.

A good college education will create numerous opportunities that otherwise wouldn't exist.

A crappy stereo is a waste of a couple hundred bucks.

A crappy college education incurs tens of thousands of dollars in nondischargeable debt that will haunt you for much of your adult life.

Good Stereo vs Good College: Good College

Good Stereo vs Bad College: Good Stereo

Bad Stereo vs Good College: Good College

Bad Stereo vs Bad College: Bad Stereo

Two wins for college, two wins for stereo.

A good college degree can help provide the means of acquiring a better stereo down the road.

A crappy college degree will cause enough debt that it will be much harder to acquire that same stereo.

Marvin's scenarios are spot on I think. 

from a strictly financial perspective, perhaps

i, however, value my education far more than any stereo in existence!  I could probably live without owning a $1000 stereo, but I would feel like I really missed out if I didnt get an education, even if it was replaced by a $1M stereo

Degree, no questions asked

Maybe if I had a nice enough stereo, I could rent out time to people for a living.

Sign up for college in something audio related and then you can justify spending money on a good stereo as "research."

This is especially true if you parents are paying for your tuition!

I'll say this - if it weren't for my degree, I certainly wouldn't own anywhere close to the stereo I have today.

I would have to say 1st a COLLEGE DEGREE,followed by a stereo... Not only did we listen to great music during studying, My College also taught me how to "Fight/Run" because I was always telling all the owners of the different systems at school how much BETTER Their STUFF would sound with "UPGRADED POWER CORDS, BETTER ICs, and of course SILVER SPEAKER CABLES" I was always running.....Kinda like "FOREST GUMP"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab 

I'll say this - if it weren't for my degree, I certainly wouldn't own anywhere close to the stereo I have today.

Goes to show that the value of a college education is very much a "your mileage may vary" situation.

~ 25% of bachelor degree college entrants drop out after the first year. The student's share of state university tuition runs ~ $7k, the average state subsidy runs ~ $7k, and the opportunity cost of going to school over going to work runs ~ $5k (assuming 20hr/wk for 8mo/year lost to school) at minimum wages. $19k buys a pretty nice stereo.

The numbers get grimmer and grimmer for the ~ 20% who drop out of college after freshman year.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik 

f only you could DIY an education on the cheap.You can, but I'm talking about a degree from an accredited institution. MIT and others have generously put lectures online, but you won't get any units from "attending" those classes.

There was a thread here on that matter a while back. General reaction was strongly negative in regards to allowing an inexpensive alternate pathway to earning a degree from an accredited institution.