> Employers, in general, just want to hire "smart" people and the BA degree has become symbolic of something that "smart" people have. So every employer uses it

> Employers, in general, just want to hire "smart" people and the BA degree has become symbolic of something that "smart" people have. So every employer uses it as a way to just screen out the "dumb" people. At the same time, employers increasingly want new employees to have some sort of skill set that can be applied to the job. Definitely this is the case. A degree is merely a signal. Eployers want the smartest 10% of the population. If they were left handed, employers would require left-handedness. What I find discouraging is how routine and repetitive most work is. It's like you are the paramedic at the county fair and you're job is bandaids on elbows, but you need to be an expert brain surgeon in case that comes up.