Is a College Degree Worth the Money?

Yes:

The message of the Great Recession and anemic recovery is that postsecondary education—from a certificate at a community college to an advanced degree—is more valuable than ever. The concern among the necktie set about widespread job insecurity from the twin pincers of globalization and information technologies is real. But the data suggest the dire conclusions are exaggerated, with the share of jobs in the U.S. economy requiring postsecondary education up from 28 percent in 1973 to 59 percent in 2008. Over the next decade that share could increase to 63 percent, estimate scholars at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

– Chris Farrell, Businessweek, March 20, 2011

Not for some people:

For most people — if they can afford it, or are fortunate enough to get financial aid — a college degree has historically been a solid investment. Whether the calculus still holds in a shrinking job market when the cost of that education is $52,000 a year, and rising steadily, remains to be seen. One lesson to be learned from the recent uprisings in the Middle East, especially in Egypt, is that a long-suffering group of highly educated but underemployed people can be the catalyst for long overdue societal change.

 – William Cohan, NY Times Opinionator blog, March 16, 2011