I was a writer for Wired Magazine for three years and never took a single class in journalism, and nothing beyond the required english classes in college.

I think we need to do more to help educate parents and prospective students that in most cases a college degree is next to worthless. For-profit schools like the University of Phoenix get a lot of negative press, but how about these little known colleges referenced in the story that charge nearly as much as top of the line schools? Sadly, many colleges (most?) are simply outgrowths of an overgenerous loan subsidy program run by the government.

If you want to enter a credentialed field, be it education, medicine, or law—by all means get a degree.

Likewise, if you're going into a highly technical field, it's a wise investment to study intensively.

Most psych/business majors would be better served working their way up through the ranks.

In 90% of creative fields you're much better off just "doing it." I got my job at Wired by writing on my blog and getting the attention of the editor-in-chief. If you want to be a filmmaker, make films—same with music, art, etc. I essentially got paid for my "graduate school" in writing.

This is easier said than done when most entry level gigs require a college degree, but you can still get an affordable degree at most state universities. Also, we should be talking more at the political level about vocational education and non-degree training programs to prepare people for the workforce.