# Is 25 the new 21?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-25-the-new-21/701762>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 19, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-25-the-new-21/701762 "2014-10-19T05:15:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-25-the-new-21/701762/101 "2014-11-01T00:08:09Z")

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> [@doreen](#):
>
> I don’t know whether her parents are nosy or not- but parents don’t suddenly stop acting like parents just because you past a certain birthday

oh I know, I’m almost 40 but ask my mom what she thinks about me buying a motorcycle 😛

I guess I responded the way I did mostly due to the part where she said “If I get a happy hour invite for after work, I can’t go - my mother has planned dinner around me being there. Even working late would have created friction.” I didn’t move out right away after I started working, and if I was going to be working late or had an after work function an email or phone call that I’d be in late was sufficient.

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**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-25-the-new-21/701762/102 "2014-11-01T01:58:24Z")

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> [@Mr.Nylock](#):
>
> You are going against the grain of any data I have seen on the subject, do you happen to have any data upon which you are basing these sentiments? Specifically in regards to having no college degree being equal to having a degree.

> **[College May Not Pay Off for Everyone - Liberty Street Economics](https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2014/09/college-may-not-pay-off-for-everyone/)**
>
> In our recent Current Issues article and blog posts on the value of a college degree, we showed that the economic benefits of a bachelor’s degree still far outweigh the costs.

This recent analysis by the NY Fed discusses this very issue. Basically their point is that on average, college is still a great investment, but “that perhaps a quarter of those who earn a bachelor’s degree pay the costs to attend school but reap little, if any, economic benefit. In fact, once the costs of attending college are considered, it is likely that earning a bachelor’s degree would not have been a good investment for many in the lowest 25 percent of college graduate wage earners.”

Obviously _some_ graduates are going to reap little benefit, if only because there are millions of people graduating each year and some of them are bound to fuck up and do nothing. I think it’s remarkable that a full quarter are in the position of not getting economic advantages out of their degree.

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