NBC News Asks: Is College Worth the Money?

Long-time Slashdot reader destinyland writes: 'More major corporations are abandoning the requirement of a four-year degree. At Apple, half of their employees don't have college degrees,' reports NBC News. They also note that JP Morgan is 'actively recruiting' people without a college degree for programs that train them for careers in areas like operations or consumer banking (showing one woman who ultimately got a $70,000-a-year position in Human Resources).

NBC warns that 'this path is untested. Many jobs still require a Bachelor's degree, and on average, a college graduate makes 67% more than a high school graduate.' But they add that 'as the cost of college rises, some say the returns aren't keeping pace' — cutting to their interview with Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff. 'To make a lot of money, you just need to get the skills. You don't need to go to college!' he tells them enthusiastically. 'You can do it all online!'

NBC provides the example of an immigrant from Colombia who went through free online training with Salesforce that led to a job. And earlier in the segment Benioff admits that 'I only went to college because my parents made me go to college...!

'Everybody thinks that if you don't have a college degree you can't be successful in the United States, and it's not true... You can create incredible value for the world without a college degree.'

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