Is Having A College Degree Still Worth It??

Is college still the golden ticket to success—or just a $200,000 mistake wrapped in tradition? 🎓 Let's get real about what a degree really means in today’s world of skill-first hiring, crippling student debt, and outdated expectations. Spoiler alert: you might not need a diploma to thrive.

In this video, I’m sharing my brutally honest experience: two degrees, decades of hindsight, and the realization that everything we were told about college might be… a lie. If you’re questioning whether college is worth the investment or if there’s a better way to build your dream life, you’re in the right place.

Here’s what we’ll uncover:
• Why the traditional college path feels outdated for so many careers 💼
• How student loans can haunt you for decades—and what to do instead 💸
• Real-life alternatives like bootcamps, certifications, and hands-on skills that actually get you hired 👩‍💻
• The truth about job postings, degrees, and why employers care more about your results than your résumé 📃
• The trades, side hustles, and tech skills that can launch six-figure careers—without a degree 🔧

This isn’t about bashing college; it’s about challenging the narrative we’ve been fed for years. If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure about your next step, let’s talk about real solutions for building a life that works for YOU.

✨ Join the conversation! Drop a comment with your story—did your degree pay off, or are you stuck paying it off? Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more no-fluff takes on navigating life, work, and everything in between.

⏰Chapters:⏰
00:00 The College Dream: A Beautiful Lie
00:23 Personal Reflections and Realizations
01:15 The Changing Value of a College Degree
02:42 The Harsh Reality of the Job Market
04:41 The Outdated Education System
07:56 Exploring Alternatives to College
12:40 Final Thoughts and Reflections

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☕ If you can, show your support & buy me a coffee on Venmo @SheilaHammond 🖤

[elmobolan]

57 yrs old - had some college but realized this early. So, I decided to just lie my way through corporate America. I did well. We have paid off our house, have some savings, and have 2 paid off cars. Thank god the internet wasn't around back then!!

[patriciaanndemello]

I feel proud of my Bachelor's degree. It felt like an accomplishment. It raised my self esteem and I got it for my own satisfaction. For me, it was necessary.

[caitcraig]

I feel so validated seeing this video and everyone in the comments sharing their experiences. Normalize not having a degree in fields where its not necessary!! Also for anyone who sees my comment, heres a pro tip: municipality jobs, train conductors, and working in schools in non-teacher positions do not require degrees AND many of those jobs offer pensions.

[StephanieManley]

I never got a job in my initial college degree; thankfully, my employer took care of my next two degrees. I don't recommend that younger people go to college. I encourage people to look at trade school or get what they can from community college and certifications.

[slimjimjimslim]

Hmm I disagree partially. College can host job fairs, conferences, career clubs, alumni associations, and the degree itself is often used to gauge a candidate’s ability. I agree You cannot blindly depend on a college degree to get you a job or keep you employed forever, the person has to go and seek opportunities and put in the work. A random person on the street with no degree ain’t gonna be a doctor, or lawyer or psychologist or an engineer or physicist or a chemist.

[ReginaPaul]

Just want to say I LOVE your videos! Your candidness is so refreshing, so thank you for sharing. I'm 57 and my job that I had for 13+ years was suddenly eliminated in April. For the last 8 months I've been trying to reinvent myself only to discover that recruiters really aren't interested in 57 year olds at all. Even gaining new certificates and updating and learning new skills to make myself more relevant doesn't seem to be helping. It doesn't matter that I have a degree (by the way totally agree with you about college), that I have 30+ years of experience, or that I've been careful to stay updated on all my skills including my AI skills. So now it's getting the point where I'm going to have to find anything even if it's significantly lower pay. So, I totally get what you're going through! :-)

[kenofken]

Virtually all of the people telling kids they should skip college and go into the trades are people who made their livings from a college degree and who wouldn't be caught dead doing manual labor jobs themselves.

[Reteprab]

You are one smart lady!!! I originally got both my degrees because I was interested in the paths that they could lead me in. I feel that what I really learned was time management, critical thinking, effective communication just to name a few. These skills are not thoroughly taught in high school in my opinion.

Both my degrees cost me a combined total of around $40K. I also worked full time during both to support myself. My first degree being completed in 1991, and the second in 1999. I was able to quickly get a job in my field (the week after graduation) and it eventually paid off. I realize those were different times. Knowing the myriad options that are available now, it is so intriguing where one could go with their education and career.

One thing that is worth noting is that people tend to shift jobs way more frequently than was customary 25-30 years ago. I personally believe that it really takes 5 years to become an expert in any skill. With the current necessary skill sets for tech jobs updating so frequently, it’s a wonder there are any experts at all any more.

Great work with the channel!!! Loving your insight! 🎯🎯🎯

[IzzyOnTheMove]

I'm a college dropout but I always put on my resume whatever college degree was necessary to get the job. Always got it, never checked. If you can do the job, it's all that matters

[NoNameNumberTwo]

This is a really good question, and I don’t know that I have the answer. College is not just the education, there’s the social aspect. Some of the most important people in my life today—I met them in college. It’s also a semi-structured buffer as you get into adulthood and your brain is still developing. Most of the people I’m still in contact with are well-paid professionals, and many of them did go on to get master’s degrees. But it’s important to mention that a disproportionate number of them work for the government, at the state or federal level. The government is not profit motivated, so they pay fairly well with great benefits and many days off, and I don’t know how much they expect in return. If a young person today wanted to pursue an alternative route to success, I would be much more in favor of it now than I would have been thirty years ago.

[jenismith]

40 and AI has ruined my writing career of 15 years. Went to school to be an accountabt. Got Bachelors and it was a complete wash. Only briggt side was tge school was so crummy that I got a refund. 😂 making pizzas atm, waiting for next pivot. Wish me luck

[KevinRStrauss]

So much truth. While my masters in biomedical engineering "opened" a door, the VP of HR at my 1st job said I got the interview because of my persistence. After earning more than 75 patents in my career, I wrote a book called Innovate The 1%. Higher Ed didn't teach me how to creatively problem solve, an 18-year apprenticeship being my father's "little helper" fixing & building things around the house was how I really learned. And don't get me started on what I know about human behavior compared to the 150+ year old psychology curriculum still taught today. I recently polled teachers about the value of L&D and 100% said it was useless! In short, there are many more ways to learn something than attending formal education.

[EugeneTChu]

College helped me, but I am not the typical person. Before college, I enlisted in the military. I later earned an ROTC scholarship for my undergraduate degree. For my graduate degree, I used the GI Bill. College degree improved my career, but there are some who blindly pursue a degree without a proper plan of how to pay for or use it.

[pizzame]

If you have the same thing as everyone else, you have nothing special. College has become high school 2.0. If I could do everything over again I wouldn't even have finished high school. I should have bought a fake diploma for both high school and college and gone right into the work force. I wish youtube had been around when I was young. It is so easy to learn watching videos, much easier than going to boring and over priced classrooms.

[FunPHYSICZ]

I am in my 70s and I have two Bachelor's degrees and two Master's Degrees, all in Engineering. I am almost always working on contracts (because I want to). The secret is to not major in junk. (By the way, no student loans either. All paid for by the military)

[SoloSecondHalf]

College was a long time ago for me. I still work in tech but my degree is in psychology. Many companies still want a 4 year degree has been my experience. I agree so much can be learned online. I don’t think I would want to be starting out again. It’s a crazy world. In tech so many jobs are outsourced offshore. Hopefully the new administration will put some incentives to hire Americans.

[kevinturner]

I remember Steve Jobs saying not to worry about a degree. He said just take what you need to learn what you want.

[ericshayhoward]

"I 100% did that on my own." Yes–same here, I think. I've never had a job that required a degree until recently–teaching high school English and now teaching adjunct. My full time job at the law firm I got because my roommate didn't want it; my teaching job; I got my MBA while I was working there. I got my MFA because I wanted to. And I really like your videos! You're great at the mic!

[SJ-kmdb]

I'm dealing with that right now. My daughter got into her first choice. A school that musicians attend in Boston. It has a great reputation, famous people attended it, and it's 80k a year. They gave a measly 11k merit scholarship broken out per semester for each year. While I get she wants to go there, I'm 54. With a 2nd kid in the house. Trying to get her to see that while it's a dream, unless there are a bunch of scholarships and grants that don't have to be paid back, I can't in good conscious, set her up where she owes 200k once it's done and over with. And what is the rate of return for her when she's completed it? A 40k job a year? When I was in school, back in the 1900's, ha, it was much more affordable. I was able to finish paying them off in my 20's. Now? Kids are in their 50's before they would be done paying for school. Plus, a Bachelor's is not satisfactory anymore. They want/need a Master's according to them. I never did my Master's. And I'm doing a job that has nothing to do with what I studied. Not even close. And make in the 6 figures. It took a long time to get here making this money, but I had one job that trained me in the skill I'm using now. That one job put me in a trajectory that allows me to make the income I make. While I don't particularly care for my job, it pays the bills. Supports the family, especially after my husband stopped working. Looking back now at my education, I still would stay local, maybe study something different and truly looked at rate of return for that education.

[AgingOnYourTerms]

I just had a flashback to arguing with HR that my open position did not require a bachelors degree or be a certified project manager. I just need an experienced person.

After wasting 2 months of my life interviewing people who looked good on paper, they finally removed those requirements, and I found the right person.