The fact that some people need an explanation of the value of a college degree is evidence enough that it's wasted breath trying to explain that value to them. Of course there are plenty of anecdotes about non-college graduates outperforming college graduates; they are just that - anecdotes.

Who should the Mayo clinic hire, very experienced medical professionals, or DOCTORS? Should there be exceptions? Maybe, but the point is that the educational criterion is paramount.

In the flying context, should we hire illiterates just because they have enough flying hours? (Not that non-college grads are illiterate; I'm drawing an extreme analogy.) What about hiring people with a limited ability to grasp the company's business practices, its regulatory and operating environment, its workplace culture or the varied cultures of its destinations? Experience alone may mean that you have learned those things in the past, but a higher education signifies that you possess the academic and pedagogical skills to learn new things in the future.

Whine about college grads having no common sense or an inability to drive your Pinto, but the fact is simply that the average non-degree worker will have to work much, much harder to surpass college grads and post-grads in career earnings.

OP: Don't just tick off the box to get it over with. Get the degree and actually ENJOY the process of completing your higher education.