It depends on what you want to achieve, what career you want. Some professions require a degree, nursing, medicine, engineering, finance etc. If these are the careers someone seeks passionately, then a degree via higher education is necessary.
Higher education isn't for everyone, but from my experience it is the most life changing activity I have participated in. I saw first hand how very powerful a mechanism it was for transformation and I promote higher education to everyone that will listen. My nephew was working in pizza hut, JW parents, he worked hard at school, attended University to study finance and now works in London for a prestigious finance firm, on an extraordinary wage straight out of university. My sister was middle aged, exJW with no schooling of use, no career, attended college then university and was a year from graduating as a midwife only that personal issues hampered her from finishing. I was a JW window cleaner and labourer, now a medical physician and University lecturer.
As for debating professors.... well, professors love to debate and argue! I would disagree with my lecturers on issues without any consequence. As a lecturer now, I enjoy interacting with students willing to care enough to challenge a point of view.
I never saw any lecturer/professor heavily promote personal politics or personal beliefs in lectures and certainly nobody was hindered for their opinions, that was in 6 years of university education. There were many debates and discussions whereby ethics were discussed and opinions varied wildly. We were encouraged to recognise there was no right or wrong answers, but that we were to consider everyone's point of view and the legal requirements.
I now attend a masters in medical education and we debate educational theory with our lectures all day long and they encourage it! If you can defend your point of view with evidence, you are fine. In fact, unique and controversial arguments are what all students seek as they score highest in assignments for being different and thought provoking.
It could not be further from the life of a JW, as a student you are encouraged to believe nothing, critically appraise everything, construct your own point of view based on evidence and then test it for its function and efficiency. There is no hierarchy of power, that just isn't how education works, education evolves so quickly, the students become the lecturers and the evidence improves/changes daily.....anyone holding tightly to outdated/non-substantive views lose confidence.
I sincerely believe that those arguing against higher education and making points about politics and professors, have clearly not attended higher education facilities. In 2008, I was posting on this forum about how surprised I was to be allowed to question, how freeing it felt. That I had open access to the professors to debate them unlike elders/overseers or the GB. It was life changing to witness and experience it.
I am totally aware of the issues in America with Left/Right battle lines being drawn on university campuses. The convoluted dialogue between social sciences, psychology and philosophy departments appear to be muddying the waters not bringing clarity, This isn't surprising, these departments and experts are tackling new social issues with huge consequences for society, with much emotion, tribalism and political footballing going on from all sides. These debates and discussions should be taking place and it will be interesting to see what the future holds. The quicker they respect one another and respect each others free speech, the sooner they will mitigate the issues.
Lastly, for those that don't think higher education is for them, including some entrepreneur heroes of mine....great! I'm sure it isn't for everyone. It was a brutal 6 years of hellish study, 16hr Library sessions, crushing workloads and what seemed impossible finishing lines to cross. It wasn't always emotionally or psychologically healthy to be so academically driven and focused for so long.
