ABC 20/20: Bachelors Degrees May Not Be Worth the Money???

[Professor_Adam]

It only confirms what I have long believed.

Here's a great example from my personal experience.

I worked as a journalist in the Marine Corps for 4 years. I had no college experience at all and got out in 1998. I took a job as a reporter in Texas for about a year and then moved up to NH and worked as an editor at a medium-size daily paper. I was put in charge of 6 reporters (all of whom had bachelor's degrees and were deeply in debt). I still had no college education at this point and yet I was put in charge of people who did, and I was making more money than them. If they resented me I never sensed it. I think I was respected and treated as a peer based on my knowledge and work ethic -- despite being the one without a degree.

That said, attitude, experience and a willingness to learn and take initiative often trump college education. However, in the military there are clear and distinct benefits of having a bachelor's degree. For me it means the opportunity to become an officer and receive a nice raise of about $800 a month, with much bigger raises as I move up to 1LT and CPT.