I think being enslaved to a corporate job is a lot closer to prison than college. Really, college is likely the highlight of the lives of young people in America. Which is really, really, sad when you think about it. Yea I know, somebody is going to chime in and say one should be "thankful" for their crap job. It's a trap.
All that said, I think I'd rather be dead than in prison. I don't think I'd do well in that kind of environment. Then again, I think I'd also rather be dead than slaving away at a corporate job for 40 years. Thankfully there are other options. I think if all of life was like college, depression levels would PLUMMET and Steve Pavlina would be out of business.
