do you NEED a degree these days? the simple answer is no. though some of us have aspirations that can't be attained WITHOUT a degree.
i live a very comfortable life in a middle class family, all provided by my parents. neither of them have college degrees, but decades of expierience in their respective fields. they have from day one told me they would help me out in any way they could towards getting a college degree. why is that? because at their jobs, advancing beyond a certain point requires that expensive piece of paper that says " i worked hard to get this, and i should be paid accordingly." at some places degrees mean nothing, and at others it is in the company policy exactly how far a non-collegiate can go on the ladder
some kids choose to get degrees that are worth almost nothing. things like: communications, philosophy, dance, etc. spending your money on shit like that is a waste.
i choose engineering (mechanical) as my major, and to be honest its hard as fuck. calc, physics, statics, dynamics, electrical networks, differential equations, the damn list goes on and on. NONE of these classes can be just cruised through, you have to study and work at it way more than you want to. but you know what? when you get through it all (eventually) you have a degree in something useful and unique. you know you won't be making a living off of your back and knuckles, and the base pay is outstanding.
to sum it up, if you have goals and the drive to do something with your life, yes a degree is a good idea. if you don't really care what you do as long as you have enough $$ to just chill back and enjoy life, then its probably not for you
