In Tight Job Market, College Grads Wonder if Degrees Were Worth the Cost

Chicago - Is a four-year college degree worth it? Is college really for everyone?

Consider this: of the 30 fastest growing careers in the United States, only a handful require a college degree.

Physician assistants, computer software engineers and physical therapists don't need a liberal arts education to do their job.

Employers want people trained in the area, with as much hands-on experience as possible. And they want problem solving skills.

Chicago's Tribeca Flashpoint Academy CEO Howard Tullman believes it's time to start more vocational skills. Tribeca Flashpoint is a film, video and digitial media school downtown where students learn hands-on. They get real-world experience, and also learn intangible things like problem solving and people skills, qualities companies continually complain that job applicants lack.

"We're the only country that thinks its mandatory to go to a four year school," said Tullman. "Every other part of the world has a lot of different paths, all of which are socailly acceptable."

Tribeca Flashpoint has only been around for two years, but they can already boast more than 70 percent of their students get jobs within six months of graduation.

Tullman said companies come calling and they don't ask about diplomas.

"They ask how well can someone do it, how much experience they have and when can you start," he said. "They don't care about pieces of paper."

Some college graduates are learning the hard way that the degree they worked hard to get won't pay off in a tight job market.

Chicagoan Ashley Sathers thought she'd be working as a journalist now - a full year out of college. Instead, she's working at a west Loop restaurant.

"I'm from Florida and I moved 1000 miles to go to school here," she said. "I sacrificed a lot. I don't have a real job, not one in my field. But moving back home right now would be admitting to more defeat than i'm willing to admit."

Even though her paychecks are low, Ashley says her bills are high.

"I have [student] loans through Sallie Mae and they're asking for more money than I make in a month," she said.

Tullman said traditional colleges aren't for everyone, and students who figure that out early stand to gain financially.

"If you borrow $150,000 you may never pay it off," he said. "We have a whole generation of kids learning that lesson the hard way."