Bachelor's degree: Has it lost its edge and its value?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Undervalued and overpriced, the beleaguered bachelor's degree is losing its edge as the hallmark of an educated, readily employable American.</p>

<p>[Doubts about the value of a bachelor's degree creates new routes to careers. This is part of the cover story project in the June 18, 2012 issue of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly magazine.]</p>

<p>"The children of white middle-class, college-educated parents, Hugh Green and Turner Jenkins are just the kind of kids everyone would expect to be stepping out into the world one sunny June day, bachelor's degrees in hand. But they both veered from the traditional American educational route.</p>

<p>One decided that a bachelor's was never going to be enough, while the other concluded it was unnecessary.</p>

<p>Mr. Green enrolled in an accelerated program that will keep him at Emory University in Atlanta for a fifth year and earn him a master's degree. Mr. Jenkins is immersed in a culinary training program in Gaithersburg, Md., that he hopes will launch his career as a chef.</p>

<p>Once the hallmark of an educated and readily employable adult, the bachelor's degree is losing its edge. Quicker, cheaper programs offer attractive career route alternatives while the more prestigious master's is trumping it, making it a mere steppingstone.</p>

<p>Studies show that people with four-year college degrees earn more money than those without over their lifetime, that they are more likely to find jobs and, once employed, are almost twice as likely to be selected for on-the-job training.</p>

<p>This has prompted a stampede through college and university gates.</p>

<p>But studies are like photographs: They record the past. They say nothing about the clear and present danger that the bachelor's degree is losing value." ...</p>

<p>Bachelor's</a> degree: Has it lost its edge and its value? - CSMonitor.com</p>

2

<p>When it comes to liberal arts degrees, there seems to be more people vying for employment, than there are job openings. The four-year degree doesn’t give an edge, and is sometimes useless. However a college degree will still give a slight edge over those without one. And the more college the better. Postgraduate degrees truly give one an edge in this job market and show a higher knowledge and commitment to the subject which may not be shown by obtaining only a bachelors degree</p>

<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>

3

<p>A bachelor’s degree is frequently a Requirement for a job, not a leg up. Let’s see how much the culinary degree major does in a few years (and some culinary degrees cost the same as a Bachelors).</p>

4

<p>Surely one must have the box, but also something inside the box?</p>