As for the usefulness of college degrees, a lot depends on the person getting the degree.

One of the smartest journalists I worked with during my newspaper days had a major in poly sci and a minor in philosophy. She explained that journalism was a trade and a journalism degree was pointless. Most of the best reporters report on subjects they have a background in (defense writers tend to have a background in the military, medical writers usually are trained doctors or nurses, ect)

She chose her majors because they interested her - she knew they weren't going to lead to a career, but both helped her develop depth. Also she came from money, so she was paying for her school out of pocket and could afford to use college to 'grow' as a person without worrying about succeeding.

She eventually went on to get her law degree and wrote a least one book (while attending law school and covering Roseville, CA politics full time for the paper...an over achiever for sure.

I think college could be fun and interesting way to expand yourself as a person, but such growth probably isn't worth the money spent. And it certainly isn't worth spending MY money on.

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The problem is most people want to point a finger rather than their thumb when dealing with challenges.