How do you justify the price and tedium of college when you could teach yourself subjects you're interested in far more effectively?

>muh career

Just pick something that pays extremely well without restricting yourself to narrow interests. You can always read about science and math as a hobby and you'll probably be more knowledgeable than most grads.

>muh degree

Is your worth tied to a piece of paper?

>muh IQ

College is about work ethic, not intelligence (at least at the undergrad level).