I once had to battle the organization I was working for to hire a candidate for a digital marketing job who had years of solid experience but hadn't completed his college degree. I won, we hired him, and he was the best person we ever had in that position. Meanwhile, I have hired college graduates who cannot write a simple business letter. — Debra L. Wolf, New York I work as an educational assistant, even though I have a B.A. and an M.Ed. Turns out you can pay the money and do the work and earn the teaching license and then they move the goal posts while you're home with your babies. Anyway, our superintendent once tried to defend our low wages, as assistants, on the grounds that we didn't need degrees to do our work. But every single time they advertise for an assistant's position, they say, "Four-year degree preferred." Some nerve. — Elsie, Massachusetts After years of trying to make it through life with a G.E.D., I entered college at age 38. I didn't just want a better job; I wanted to not feel ignorant. Even if I had been given the job my eventual degree enabled me to have, I don't think I would have done nearly as well in my career without having had the college experience. A college degree is more than a ticket. It's a sign that you've been through a life-altering process. It changes your thinking in ways that are both demonstrable and intangible. It unlocks self-confidence and self-worth. At least it did for me. — Jonathan, Cleveland | 
