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

[HawkGuy]

Motuterry is right. In my humble opinion, it depends more on what your degree is in and what you plan to do with it than anything. If one gets a degree in Liberal Studies (like me) and hopes for a job paying 100 grand a year just on the basis of education alone, they're in for a rude awakening. It's a door opener, not a push through the door.

That one lady said said she spent 85 grand on a BA in Human Development. I'm wondering what job she hoped to get. In all psychology jobs, you need at least a Masters to get a job as a counselor. Her first problem was spending 85 grand on a BA. Her second mistake was not doing her due diligence regarding her career plans. She failed to do her research and it came back to haunt her.

The next guy got a degree in Meteorology that cost him $77,000. Ok, using my Google-fu skillz, I found out that an entry level metro guy makes 36-40 grand a year. That's assuming you can get a job.

Now on to jobs that do pay well. A BS in Pharmacy will land you a job making 120k/yr in any state in the union. Sure you'll have the 75-100k student loans, but that's what the high paycheck is for. Will a Pharmacist make a million dollars more than a HS grad? Yeah.

A new recruit in the military makes 15.5 grand a year. No college, just a HS diploma or GED. In three years he'll be up to 24.3k/yr. A new officer makes 31.8k to start, but in three years he'll be up to just about $52,000 a year. The difference? To become a military officer, you need a Bachelors.

I was looking online at government jobs a month or so ago. There was one advertised for some director of operations position at the VA here in Phoenix. The requirement: a BS in Business. The salary? 77 grand.

I think a BA/BS degree holder will make a million dollars more over the course of a career. But only if it's a degree and career path that have been thoroughly thought out. Which not too many people do these days.