I received the degree at Marist and it landed me a job in the 1990s.

I'm a graphic designer for a pretty big company here in phoenix. I beat out 7 applicants with college degree's due to my portfolio alone. I took one semesester of art school and dropped out. So having a degree doesnt always give you the job.

That's is a rare occurance.

I finished my software engineering course and came out of college debt-free.  I went to school full time and worked full-time nights, still also managed to graduate with honors (85% or greater for all courses over the four years) Granted Those four years if I slept 6 hours that was a long sleep.  I usually got like 4 hours sleep per night, though that was mostly my fault, I liked to go to the school pub a little too much, lol.  I actually had a professor tell me that I would do better in her class if I didn't come to class drunk all the time.  I managed a 92% in her class :)

Interesting debate. Myself, I have a Master's in Health Administration and a BS in Political Science. I am not directly benefiting from my degrees quite yet due to this current economic bust, but the time I purchased by going to college for 7 years is priceless eventhough they say I owe some $70,000 in student debt. Yeah well, the time spent with the ladies in the dorms and Thirsty Thusdays before 9 am midterms are worth much, much more than $70k in debt.

I fall along the line of thinking that working while in college is crucial for you to be able to apply your degree once you graduate.

Numonex, the OP, should have listed Forbes 100 wealthiest people in his argument. If I remember correctly, over half of the world's wealthiest people either have no college or are dropouts.

First, numonex, you appear to be from the UK. Is this is any way related to our current Uni places problems? Are you one who's been denied because of lack of clearing and full Universities?

Eitherway, my degree only helped me gain my job, having a load of experience in many computing related topics helped me have options but the career I wanted and am now in (web development) was not taught at all in a 'Computing' degree. Weird that considering that is what the industry was.

Of course what they didn't tell me is that because every career advisor was saying do computer related stuff to every pupil in the country, when I came out of it there were no good jobs and what you learnt was out of date anyway.

That aside I think it depends on what you want/need to do. A good uni course can be a great stepping stone into many industries but there are some that don't need it, some more physical jobs or one that can be learned while working (apprenticeships)  can benefit more.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch." That rule is busted when the Professor/Lecturer uses his own book as your course text book. You are often forced to buy his text book. 

Never question the Professor/Lecturer when he/she makes a mistake. He/she decides whether or not you pass or fail the course. It would be a terrible shame to repeat a class and be forced to buy the next edition of his text book for next semester. Repeating a college class is Groundhog Day. 

I am fairly sure these individuals started their own companies.  You need to be a self-learner to do this mostly.  The right education is priceless.  The right education may not be college.

And a portfolio is >  college.

This thread is ridiculous....Sour grapes written all over it. Get to where I'm I'm at today without a degree. Good luck....Am I'm not being arrogant. I'm doing what I have dreamed since I was a kid and I'm just saying there is no way I'd be here right now if I didn't go to college (a cheap state school for the record).

How about people find a way to get degrees without any debt?  If a college degree is such a lock for employment, would banks lend college graduates money to relocate right after graduating the way they give out student loans?

By the way, you can find more on how college can be a waste of time here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125157977519656