My daughter, who lives in Dallas, finds jobs easily even without a degree. She hasn't seen any lack of opportunity. She is making almost $80,000 a year in a job that normally requires a marketing degree. She says if she lost her job today she could find another one easily. It almost looks like social skills, networking ability, physical attractiveness, knowing how to dress well and fit in with all kinds of people and the ability to learn quickly and the drive to work hard and earn more and not settle for a dull boring job is more important than a college degree for some people. Her friends are all young professionals with enough money to travel and enjoy life. They don't have any trouble finding jobs. One recently got a good job after getting his law degree. She is the only person in her group of friends that doesn't have a degree and she thinks it is my fault because I told her not to take out student loans. I thought she should just take a few classes at a time while working full time to get experience. She did that and she has a good job but she is telling her little brother not to listen to me if I tell him not to take out student loans when he is old enough to go to college. She would rather have the debt and the college degree because it bothers her that she doesn't have a degree.
She also told me that one of the things that motivated her to work hard was living where she didn't fit in. She felt people in our town and family were judging her. She hated it just like my son hates it.
