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Afford Anything · May 1, 2026 · 1h 0m

Is a Computer Science Degree Still Worth the Debt?

Ron Lieber
Show Notes

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber joins the show to discuss the changing value of a college degree, especially computer science, and how families should think about borrowing for education. He explains how to use the federal College Scorecard to research earnings by school and major, why the most alarming student loan stories usually involve graduate rather than undergraduate debt, and the case that liberal arts graduates tend to catch up to their STEM peers by mid-career. The conversation also covers the often-overlooked non-monetary returns of college (alumni networks, mentorship, friendships) and practical advice for navigating community college transfer paths and the Parent PLUS loan trap.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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The Shifting Math of Computer Science Degrees
A computer science degree used to produce near-certain job placement and high starting salaries, but the relationship between major and guaranteed ROI no longer holds.
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Graduate School Debt Drives the Scary Headlines
The most alarming student loan stories—six-figure balances, lifetime debt—almost always originate from graduate programs, not undergraduate borrowing.
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Liberal Arts Majors Catch Up to STEM by Mid-Career
While STEM majors earn more right out of college, Lieber makes the case that liberal arts graduates often close the gap by their late 30s or 40s.
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Alumni Engagement as a Return-on-College Metric
Lieber suggests using reunion attendance and alumni giving rates as proxies for how connected and professionally useful a school’s network remains after graduation.
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The Parent PLUS Loan Trap
Lieber draws a clear line between safe federal undergraduate loans and the more dangerous Parent PLUS and private loans that fuel the debt horror stories.
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Misc

✧Lieber recommends asking colleges about reunion attendance and alumni giving rates as a quick way to gauge the strength and usefulness of the alumni network after graduation.
✧He draws a sharp distinction between federal undergraduate loans (capped around $31,000) and the more dangerous combination of Parent PLUS and private loans that drive the horror stories.
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