Life experience degree= Bull**it. Plain and simple. Education is a way to improve yourself- not just get a better paying job. Once you have actually improved yourself, the job thing will come as a direct result of you being a more well rounded human being. It does not matter where you go to school. 4yr univ., comm. college, correspondence course (distance learning). All education is self inflicted, especially beyond high school. If you don't want to do it- you don't have to. Obtaining an advanced degree tells a potential employer that you are capable of working without direct supervision (e.g.- someone standing over you with a proverbial bullwhip to make sure you do what you're supposed to). The only exceptions to the above rule would apply to very specialized regimes of study (Law school, accounting, etc.). I applaud anyone who takes the step of furthering their education later in life- but do it for the right reason- to improve yourself. Also, make sure you study something you're actually interested in- you'll get a lot more out of it. Studying something just because you THINK the HR person will like it is a waste of your time and money.