This is demonstrably false - there may be a few edge cases where companies are making degrees optional, but overall the trend is in the opposite direction. (The

This is demonstrably false - there may be a few edge cases where companies are making degrees optional, but overall the trend is in the opposite direction. (The companies bypassing the degree requirement all have their own very rigorous selection requirements; the number of non-college graduates who can meet the requirements is very small.) Companies are using college diplomas as the new high school - even some help desk jobs prefer college students or recent graduates now. It seems like almost all companies require a college degree for even slightly senior positions - a high school graduate will be very limited in career progression. Degrees are now a necessary but not sufficient condition for most people. As far as price, most U.S. states have an excellent public university system - you would have to be insane to pay private school prices for anything but a top 5 university.