So here's the question: If they're getting paid less than someone with a degree (and initial salary when entering the labor market has a very significant effect

So here's the question: If they're getting paid less than someone with a degree (and initial salary when entering the labor market has a very significant effect on how much someone earns over their lifetime since most pay bumps are incremental), will they be better off in the long run getting the degree? There's a lot of hate on degrees at HN, but I felt like I got a lot out of mine, even if I was bored in of all the intro classes; sure it's not something I couldn't learn by myself, but being employed full time tends to not give you a lot of time to just learn things that aren't necessary to do the job right in front of you.