Is formal education worthless?

For your consideration:

Steven Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc., credits his early success as a computer programmer to the sense of spatial relationships and appreciation for movement that he developed from taking a dance class at college.

It is reported that Danish physicist Niels Bohr came by the concept of complementarity by reflecting on the irreconcilability of perfect love and perfect justice.

American inventor Nikola Telsa asserted that he “saw” the AC induction motor while reciting Goethe (the poet).

An undergraduate background in the liberal arts and sciences, with its inherent focus on critical analysis and on verbal and written communication, provides a breadth of skills, contexts, and limitless potential that will enhance any specific career choice, whether in business, the arts, computer science, physics, or engineering.

To take liberties with John Stuart Mill, people are people before they become lawyers, health care providers, scientists, or engineers, and if they are educated to become capable and sensible people, they will become more capable and sensible professionals

It's only worthless if you make it worthless.

The successful people in college usually have a general idea about what they want to become and how they're going to get there long before college age. People who are unsure about college at that age and go to college anyway tend to make a lot of mistakes.

A common mistake is the belief that all colleges are the same. No, not all colleges are the same. There are statistics, rankings, admissions criteria, and other information that will tell you where a university stands. That's why people work hard to get into a GOOD college, just not any college. It doesn't have to be IVY league. Just ones with high academic integrity. Especially where the BIG companies usually hire from. For example, if you're looking into getting in accounting or finance you would look towards the Big 4. In California, if you want to work for Apple you would try to get into California Polytechnic State University where Apple recruits directly from. Or University of California Berkeley where Google recruits directly from.

Another mistake is that people don't use college to their full advantage. They don't network or make connections with other hardworking students. That's the whole point of going to a good university other than academia. Everyone there worked as hard as you did if not harder. They'll make good friends in the future. Also, colleges can get you the hook-ups for internships and co-ops for college credits. TAKE THEM. Use your summer wisely. While the people out partying every summer gets a job at entry level. You get 2 levels above them because you spent every summer interning. Difference between 80k salary and 105k salary at 22.