What's a degree worth today?

I read somewhere that a baccalaureate degree today is worth as much as a high school diploma from 20 years ago. Maybe it was 50 years. I can't remember.

In any case, the economy is so depressing it warrants an entry. Forget the baccalaureate, there are people with master's and doctoral degrees who can't find a job that values their level of education and pays them accordingly.

So it makes me wonder if college was worth it. What about all those people in high school we thought wouldn't amount to anything because they only have a diploma / GED and maybe an associate's degree from a community college? I feel like in some ways, they're in a better position to find employment than a college graduate because they have at least a GED and five years of work experience while the college graduate has an edge on the education, but not on the experience.

Thinking back, I can't say with certainty that I would be happy in Penn's MSEd program, even if it was just one year. One year at a private institution + living expenses.... my mom says those programs and schools are only for rich people. I remember in high school I told a teacher that I didn't want money to be a reason why I didn't choose a program.

And now: how could I NOT consider the finances? Tuition keeps rising but I don't think federal financial aid is keeping up. Budgets are getting smaller and smaller, but costs are still increasing.

But even after saying all of this, I don't regret going to Texas. I loved my major and the experiences I had while in Austin. I got to actually study a centralized major in Asian American Studies! How many institutions in the US can say they actually have a major in AAS? I got to play volleyball and be in an environment that encourages and thrives on school pride. How many schools have top-notch academic programs AND NCAA athletic teams? I got to work in the dean's office, meet people who had dissimilar backgrounds, took French and Portuguese... the list goes on and on.

Perhaps this is what college is about. Leave the finances out for a minute. I think college is supposed to be a time of deep intellectual and emotional growth, where we flow from one idea to the next, where we explore as much as we can and try and figure out what we like and what we're good at. We're supposed to challenge ourselves by trying to understand issues from someone else's perspectives. College is an environment conducive to young adults questioning tradition.

Now set aside the lofty epistemological ideals of higher education and step into reality. Do employers care how much growth I've gone through? What do I have to show for it? My GPA? My references? Did I sacrifice studying something of practicality in the hopes that I'd be a more informed and cultured, productive citizen?

I miss when times were simpler.

Until next time.

HMQD