Entering the workforce after college

The Tavis Smiley Show

Grow up, go to college, get a good job. These days, that’s not always the route to "happily ever after." Does a college degree pay off in today’s economy?

From college scholar, to grocery bagger: we’ll explore the evolving or devolving worth of a college degree. For some, particularly low-income communities of color, a college degree remains a stirring promise of a better life. For others, a college degree has been reduced to a piece of paper representing debt and unmet expectations.

As many fresh-faced grads search for jobs in their fields, in today’s struggling economy, it is a hard reality that has left many 20-somethings high-tailing their dream careers for a job that simply pays the bills.

"The Tavis Smiley Show" is a weekly show offering a unique blend of news and newsmakers in expanded conversations, along with feature reports and regular commentators. "The Tavis Smiley Show" is produced by Tavis Smiley productions, and distributed nationwide by PRI. This piece is a part of the "Tavis Smiley Show’s" series "My America 2008" which profiles the challenges and triumphs of everyday Americans and how their lives will be affected by the plans and policies of the Presidential candidates.

More "Tavis Smiley Show"

PRI’s coverage of economic security is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and its Campaign for American Workders.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.