On a personal level, I am thinking that I would have not been able to achieve certain kinds of critical thinking skills (to the extent that I have them) and even job (income) prospects if I had not ended up going to school (including higher education).
Schools are the most accessible place to sharpen our skills and find who we are and what we supposed to do.
But in these days, people started treating education as a form of investment too, they spend money and expect a job that pays enough to cover the money spent on it. And fails to acquire why they are supposed to get the education which is to increase their knowledge and they can use that to make more money.
Education is still valuable and it will always be but people should approach it as how you did not like some ROI and also they should avoid paying money to education as much as possible because it is one of the trap that most students get stuck in and can't pursure their goal just need to work something just to pay off their loans.