[quote=flu] I think the converse to this, just don’t think that not having a college degree is going to be ok for people these days also. It’s not just about getting a degree, it a lot of time is also important in
1) what you get it in
2) if what you get it in needs a degree.

I don’t think you will find too many un-degreed doctors…And while generally you might find some folks who don’t have degrees in engineering, those are usually the exception than the norm….

I don’t understand a lot of these fly by schools like University of Phoenix, Kaplan Devry,etc. A lot of them are a waste of money imho…

I think you’re oversimplying this and overgeneralizing that college/university is not necessary. It depends on what. If at all, in the right programs/career selections, it opens doors rather than shuts them. And of course, there are just some programs that are just waste of time.[/quote]

flu, I agree with the necessity of a college degree. Indeed, it may not prepare one to do anything but excel at beer pong, but it opens doors. Postgraduate experience is essential (as bearishgurl points out), but people with 10 or 20 years of solid experience can be locked out of even applying for a position (on online HR/application sites) for which they are qualified, because of that lack of a degree. In my humble opinion, that constitutes discrimination (at least in job where the essential tasks are not taught in any college curriculum) because there are still many in this country who cannot afford to finance a college education. But apparently the Feds don’t see it as such, so, as things stand, the college degree is a necessity in most job searches.

As for the “fly-by-night schools” you mention, I agree wholeheartedly, and wish they could be closed down. They target the poor and uneducated, and lure them into signing up for a lot of courses that will not be of help to them, so that the schools can get the tuition money from the Federal government. When the students fail, they (and the taxpayer) are left holding the bag. As you can imagine, it is extremely lucrative to these “institutions of higher learning”. The sad part is that funds for deserving students attending legitimate schools are in rapidly decreasing supply, and taking a big hit from these crooks. I don’t expect anything to change, however, since they tend to be generous contributors to political candidates.