minimum wage said:

"I earn my state minimum wage, which is pretty good evidence that I'm not making one cent more than I would make if I didn't have a degree."

Is that by choice or necessity? If necessity, I'm sorry the job situation where you live is so crappy.

Of course there are exceptions to the exceptions to the exceptions...a person could have a degree in, say, accounting, but absolutely love sales, and excel in that (partly because they love it). A person could have zero college education and thrive in sales and turn into Anthony Robbins overnight. My point is that if you have a degree and have a family or kids to support, or just flat need to earn a decent wage ($25 and up, by my standards), you are at least CONSIDERED for albeit loathesome executive-level jobs in many instances, because you have a degree. The rest of us have only clerical (reception, admin), labor, or sales to choose from. Again, I'm sure there is the very rare exception out there, but I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to prove that theory wrong now for 5 years.

But before anybody says to me "Boo-frickety-hoo, stop whining", I am going for my degree (in a science field you can't work in without the relevant qualifications), and am happy about that decision, even if it means getting loans or coughing up the dough myself through 2nd and 3rd jobs.