There seems to be a bit of a misconception here.
Most posters on this thread seem to agree that college is permissible for the sake of making a living.
Now, I don’t know what sort of early Athenian democracy some of you think we live in, but here’s a news flash: MOST students in college right this minute are in college to gain the tools to make a living; they are not seated together with hundreds of Greek elders, trying to uncover the secrets of the universe. What, then, is the big issue here? If a person wishes to be a working professional with an on-the-books means of employment, that person will have to go to college. End of discussion.
It is also, quite frankly, absurd to believe that someone would dedicate years of his life to a profession and be in it “just for the money and prestige.” Do not pretend that Jewish doctors don’t care about medicine or that Jewish lawyers don’t care about law. Perhaps, in a worst-case scenario, they started out for the prestige. Guess what? They will probably not survive the grueling years of academic labor necessary to gain any prestige. It isn’t the same thing as clipping a cherry light to the roof of your car.
All I’m saying is that college appears to be permitted by all opinions for the sake of earning a living, and that secular studies in general appear to be permitted as a way to pass spare time. That pretty much covers the needs of most adult members of the human race.
Now, what’s the argument again?