The high cost of tuition has more people questioning whether it’s worth it to go to college, according to a new survey.

Nearly 57 percent of people think college is a good financial investment for young adults these days, according to the survey of 3,000 Americans, which was conducted by Rasmusson Reports on behalf of Country Financial.

That’s down sharply from just four years ago, when 81 percent of people saw college as a good investment. The figure has fallen every year since 2008, the year the financial crisis hit.

This year, about 24 percent said they did not think a higher education was worth the investment, while about 19 percent were unsure.

Women were slightly more likely than men to say college was a good investment despite the rising cost, according to the Country Financial Survey. These days, women also are more likely to go to college than men.

The survey also found that wealthier people were more likely to see college as a good investment than those who make less money.

On the other hand, Americans seem to have a higher tolerance for debt related to education, at least as compared to last year. For example, last year 61 percent of those survyed said $20,000 or less in student loan debt was too much. This year, just 50 percent thought $20,000 or less would be too much.

When it comes to who should foot the bill, the vast majority of respondents said parents should be responsible for at least part of their kids’ college tuition. The results were roughly the same as the previous two years.

The cost of both public and private college educations has been rising steadily for decades, even when adjusted for inflation, according to the Department of Education.

Meanwhile, some economists have recently started raising alarm bells about the nation’s ballooning student loan debt, which some say has surpassed $1 trillion.

Still, many also caution that if you want a good job in this economy – or perhaps any job at all - it really pays to have a college degree.  The unemployment rate for college graduates was 4.1 percent in June, compared with 8.4 percent for those with just a high school degree.

Do you have a question about affording college? Join CNBC money guru Sharon Epperson at 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday for a live chat on paying for college.

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In a job market like this, it’s hard not to get nostalgic for a time when it seemed like there were plenty of factory jobs and other work that paid well and only required a high school degree.

Our readers agree that’s a rare find these days.

A post this week on how the recent unemployment data is highlighting a growing divide between those who have more education and those who do not prompted a lot of discussion about the value of post-high school education.

Nearly half of our readers said it is possible to get a good job with just a high school degree, but it’s a lot harder.

“My friends that have a (high school) diploma and no experience can’t find work, but those with skills or experience are happily employed,” one reader wrote.

But about 40 percent of those who took our poll said it’s not possible to get a good job these days unless you have a degree.

“I have family members who can't make over $35k because they don't have a degree,” one reader said.

College isn’t for everyone, and many readers said that if you don’t go to college you should at least try to get some vocational training or other specialized skills that will help you land a job.

Another post this week found that certificate programs maybe shouldn’t be getting such a bad rap. The report from Georgetown University said certificate programs in fields like computing, engineering and electronics can lead to a significant bump in pay.

That’s especially true in male-dominated fields, and less true for female-dominated fields such as cosmetology and health care.

Many readers said certificates had paid off for them, but cautioned that you need to choose the right program from a reputable institution to make it worth your money.

“Most factories even require some sort of technical training now. The day of the low skill job that pays well if gone,” one reader wrote.

Whether you just graduated from high school, college or a vocational program, it’s always useful to have some advice. Also this week on Life Inc., we asked chief executives to offer their tips for success.

The CEOs urged new grads to travel and experience the world, do what they are passionate about and recognize that it’s OK to make mistakes.

Many readers said it’s easy to offer that type of advice when you are an executive, but most people these days don’t have the luxury to do things like travel and follow their passion in the current economy.

“That truly speaks volumes as to how far disconnected these CEOs are from the plight of the average American. Probably half or more of these graduates will still be searching for employment a year from now as they default on their student loans, while … the other half are wallowing in misery at a no paying dead end job that they were forced to accept just to keep from defaulting because nothing else is available. This nation is totally screwed for everyone underneath the present 10%. TOTALLY SCREWED!” one reader wrote.

A small amount of education can go a long way toward improving your earnings potential, especially if you’re a man, according to a new study.

The study from Georgetown University found that certificates in fields like computer and information services, transportation and business can boost earnings by 20 percent, on average, over people who just have high school diplomas.

That’s not the result researchers were expecting when they started delving into the little-researched world of certificates, which are generally offered by for-profit institutions and community colleges in specific fields and trades.

“We were surprised,” said lead author Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

The researchers found that, on average, people with a certificate earn $34,946 a year, compared with $29,202 for those with just a high school degree. The results were based on an analysis of four different government data sets looking at earnings, education and other factors.

Those average salaries are still lower than for people with an associate's or bachelor's degree, although the researchers found that for some the certificates also provided a stepping stone to those higher degrees.

Still, the data offered one major caveat: They offered a much bigger advantage in male-dominated fields than in female-dominated fields. 

Carnevale said that in programs where the majority of students were women, such as cosmetology and some health care fields, certificates had much less value in terms of salary gains. He said that’s in large part because those fields offer low pay and little room for advancement.

In male-dominated fields, the story was quite different. There were much bigger salary gains for people who got certificates in fields such as electronics or refrigeration, heating and air conditioning, Carnevale said. On average men with certificates made 27 percent more than men with only a high school degree, while women saw a 16 percent differential.

Certificate programs often are quite short – sometimes less than a year – which means they tend to be cheaper and more accessible than two-year associate degrees or four-year bachelor's programs.

That can make certificates an attractive option for people who are looking to improve their earnings power but don’t have the time, money or inclination to go for a more traditional degree.

The number of certificates being earned in the United States has skyrocketed in recent years to about 1 million a year, compared with 300,000 in 1994, and 12 percent of Americans now say that a certificate is their highest level of education.

Some previous researchers have been less enthusiastic about certificate programs, arguing they can be a waste of time because they result in only very small increases in pay.

The Georgetown researchers say others may have reached that conclusion because so many certificates are handed out in health care fields where there are little gains. But a deeper look at specific programs and outcomes shows some certificates offer much more lucrative returns.

Obviously not all certificates are created equal, and Carnevale noted that it’s important for students to choose a programs that can potentially lead to a well-paying and stable career. Even relatively short certificate programs frequently result in hefty student debt. And a program that leads to a certificate is likely to be applicable only to very specific jobs.

“If you pick the wrong certificate it will hurt you more than if you pick the wrong major,” Carnevale said.

By contrast a college degree generally boosts earnings significantly regardless of major or field of study.

The weak economy and high jobless rate has highlighted a growing divide between those who are educated and those who are not. The unemployment rate for people with just a high school degree is double that of people with a bachelor’s degree, and job growth for less educated people has been painfully slow.

“We’re living in a world where postsecondary education and training is for everyone, just about,” Carnevale said. “It’s not about college anymore. It’s about education and training after high school.”

Related:

The majors with the best job prospects

Unemployment data highlights growing educational divide

If you want to get a job in this economy, it's becoming increasingly clear that you better also be thinking about getting an education beyond just a high school degree.

The government reported Friday that the unemployment rate for college graduates fell slightly in May, to 3.9 percent from 4 percent a month earlier.

For people with just a high school degree, the unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent, from 7.9 percent a month earlier.

The overall unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. That reflects even higher rates of unemployment among those who don’t even have a high school degree.

In general, it’s long been the case that people with a college degree have an easier time finding a job, and make more money, than those who have just a high school degree. But in the past year or so, as the job market has improved slowly and in fits and starts, the gap between education levels has become especially stark.

That’s a trend that experts expect to continue as the job market increasingly comes to rely on more skilled workers and has fewer options for people with just a high school degree.

“We’re not creating jobs in that arena, period,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial.

The number of college graduates who are employed increased by about 1.5 million in the past year, to nearly 46.4 million people as of May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number of people who just have a high school degree and are employed has actually fallen very slightly, to 33.9 million people, the government data shows.

The trends in the employment data aren’t surprising to Jack Downing, a managing partner with the job placement firm MRINetwork WorldBridge Partners.

In the past six months or so, Downing said he’s started to see such high demand for college graduates, particularly in fields such as engineering and information technology, that some candidates are fielding multiple job offers.

That’s a situation he said he and his partners hadn’t encountered in three years, and that is catching picky employers off guard.

On the other hand, Downing said, he’s finding that the job search is much tougher for people with just a high school degree, particularly if they’ve had a long bout of unemployment and may face the perception that their skills and experience are out of date.

Downing said one problem for people without an advanced education is that low-skilled jobs are increasingly moving overseas or being consolidated.

Another issue is that employers are increasingly asking for candidates with a college degree even for jobs that might once not have had that requirement.

“They have an option now, so they’re going to take somebody with a college education over somebody that’s not (got a degree),” Downing said. “It shows a commitment to themselves. It shows that they can learn, and most likely are going to be committed to career development.”

Downing doesn’t expect the preference for more educated workers to change, even if the economy starts to improve more quickly and more jobs become available.

Still, college isn’t for everyone, and Swonk said the changing job market does have options for people who don’t want to get a four-year degree. She said there is high demand for people who have done certain shorter-term, specialized training in trades like welding, or in fields such as aerospace.

The key is making sure you get trained in a field where there is demand for workers.

“You need, minimally, some kind of an education to get a job,” she said. “The question is, are you getting the right education?”

The unemployment rate for people with some college or an associate’s degree was 7.9 percent in May, slightly lower than for people with less education.

Of course, in this economy even people with a college degree are finding the job market difficult, and that’s particularly true if they are fresh out of college. The unemployment for younger workers is generally higher than for older workers, and many are struggling with high student loan debt loads.

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum got a lot of heat earlier this year for suggesting not everyone needs a college degree, but he may have been on to something.

There are lots of jobs out there that don’t require a four-year degree and pay pretty well. And at a time when so many college graduates are drowning in student loan debt and many not finding the jobs of their dreams, bypassing higher education isn’t the dumbest financial option.

You can make over $40,000 a year if you become a dental hygienist or web developer, and the job growth for both occupations is robust, according to a study released this week by jobs website CareerCast.

“Even with a college degree, finding a good job in today’s economy is hard and can be very time consuming,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. “Although those with degrees often earn more money, you can still earn a very good living without one.”

Indeed, a degree from a university will likely end up making you about twice as much starting out and in the long haul of your career. But the high cost of college may just be too much for some, not to mention the fact that many people never end up finishing a four-year degree.

About 70 percent of high school graduates do head off to college, but only four in 10 end up with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by 25, according to a report titled “Pathways to Prosperity” by Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The study found only one in three adults actually end up graduating.

“Given these dismal attainment numbers, a narrowly defined ‘college for all’ goal -- one that does not include a much stronger focus on career-oriented programs that lead to occupational credentials -- seems doomed to fail,” the Harvard researchers maintained.

The CareerCast report includes such occupations that individuals can go into with some training but that do not require a college diploma. The list also includes data on expected income and employment growth for these jobs over the next decade.

Here's a list of the top 20:

1. DENTAL HYGIENIST

Average Starting Salary: $45,000

Income Growth: 109 percent

Employment Growth: 37.7 percent

2. ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER

Average Starting Salary: $40,000

Income Growth: 255 percent

Employment Growth: 25 percent

3. WEB DEVELOPER

Average Starting Salary: $43,000

Income Growth: 179 percent

Employment Growth: 21.7 percent

4. MEDICAL SECRETARY

Average Starting Salary: $21,000

Income Growth: 114 percent

Employment Growth: 41.3 percent 

5. PARALEGAL ASSISTANT

Average Starting Salary: $29,000

Income Growth: 159 percent

Employment Growth: 18.3 percent

6. STENOGRAPHER/COURT REPORTER 

Average Starting Salary: $26,000

Income Growth: 250 percent

Employment Growth: 14.1 percent

7. HEATING/REFRIGERATION MECHANIC

Average Starting Salary: $26,000

Income Growth: 158 percent

Employment Growth: 33.7 percent

8. SURVEYOR 

Average Starting Salary: $31,000

Income Growth: 190 percent

Employment Growth: 25.4 percent

9. EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Average Starting Salary: $29,000

Income Growth: 131 percent

Employment Growth: 12.6 percent

10. INSURANCE AGENT 

Average Starting Salary: $26,000

Income Growth: 342 percent

Employment Growth: 21.9 percent

11. INDUSTRIAL MACHINE REPAIRER 

Average Starting Salary: $30,000

Income Growth: 127 percent

Employment Growth: 21.6 percent

12. COSMETOLOGIST

Average Starting Salary: $16,000

Income Growth: 163 percent

Employment Growth: 15.7 percent

13. HAIR STYLIST

Average Starting Salary: $16,000

Income Growth: 163 percent

Employment Growth: 15.7 percent

14. TAX EXAMINER/COLLECTOR 

Average Starting Salary: $30,000

Income Growth: 207 percent

Employment Growth: 7.3 percent

15. SALES REPRESENTATIVE (WHOLESALE) 

Average Starting Salary: $27,000

Income Growth: 304 percent

Employment Growth: 15.6 percent

16. CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY OPERATOR

Average Starting Salary: $26,000

Income Growth: 173 percent

Employment Growth: 23.5 percent

17. ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN 

Average Starting Salary: $34,000

Income Growth: 138 percent

Employment Growth: 1.9 percent

18. ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTER 

Average Starting Salary: $30,000

Income Growth: 140 percent

Employment Growth: 3.2 percent

19. TEACHER’S AIDE 

Average Starting Salary: $17,000

Income Growth: 112 percent

Employment Growth: 14.8 percent

20. SEWAGE PLANT OPERATOR 

Average Starting Salary: $25,000

Income Growth: 156 percent

Employment Growth: 11.6 percent.

CareerCast’s Lee advised that individuals do some research before deciding whether to pursue any of these jobs. “If you want to earn a lot of money without a college degree,” he said, “take a look at the amount of training you’ll need, then focus on a job that can still provide a satisfying, comfortable career.”

What’s your take? Do you think you need a college degree in order to have a well-paying, fulfilling career?

Jason R. Henske / AP

Dartmouth College graduates Greg Agron and John Agbaje laugh as Conan O'Brien delivers the commencement address in 2011. New research finds that college grads with business degrees may face better job prospects.

If you are heading off to college in the fall and looking to get the most bang for your buck, you may want to major in business.

IBISWorld, an industry analysis firm, took a look at fields that are expected to see the most growth in the next five years. Then, they looked at which of the most popular college degrees a person would need to get a job in those industries.

The analysis found that business grads had the most positive outlook through 2017. That’s because business graduates are most likely to work in industries where higher-than-average job and wage growth are expected.

Those fields include commercial banking, reinsurance carriers and human resources. Jobs typically held by business degree holders pay an average $70,000 a year, which is expected to rise to $77,000 by 2017, IBISWorld said.

A degree in health sciences also is likely to serve you well. The IBISWorld analysis found that job growth in health-related fields such as primary care, dentistry and nursing care will be about on par with the overall economy, but wages will grow at a slightly faster rate.

The outlook is less promising for people who major in social sciences, history and education.

Other research has shown that college graduates are more likely to be employed if they choose a major with a specific career path, including business.  But that research, from Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, was more bullish on education because of the projected low unemployment rate in that field.

If you don’t have a head for business or an interest in health care, that’s not necessarily a reason to fret. Other research has shown that just going to college should give you a leg up in life over those who don't.

The unemployment rate for people with a college degree or higher was just 4 percent in April, compared with 8.1 percent for the general population. College grads also are likely to make more money than their less educated peers.

Related:

The upside to not saving for your child’s college education

Yes, college degree has value – try $1 million

Getty Images file

New research shows that kids who pay all or part of their college costs are less likely to do things like binge drink.

If you’re doing everything you can to save for your children’s college education, chances are it’s because you think that will give your kids the best start in life.

Here’s a radical thought: Maybe the best thing you can do for your kids is ask them to pay at least some of their own way.

New research from the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University finds that kids whose parents are footing the entire college bill, including tuition, books, housing and recreation money, were most likely to be partying and possibly floundering.

 “Parents who pay for everything -- including their children’s recreation and fun money -- they have children who are more heavily into drinking, drug use, marijuana use,” said Laura Padilla-Walker, associate professor of at BYU’s School of Family Life.

Padilla-Walker’s research also found that the kids whose parents were paying for everything had less of a sense of what they wanted to do in the future than those who were getting little or no help from Mom and Dad. Not surprisingly, they also were less likely to be working while going to school.

The findings, which were based on an analysis of about 400 college kids across the country, suggest that it may be good for kids to at least pay for some of their own expenses while they are in college. Without the structure of a job or the responsibility of having to pay some of their own way, some kids may simply be getting distracted.

At the very least, parents may be able to stop fretting so much about saving for college.

“It doesn’t look like you have to pay all your student’s college expenses in order for them to be successful,” Padilla-Walker said.

You may want to help out somewhat, however. In her study, the kids that seemed the most focused on school and the future were actually the ones that were getting no help at all.

Still, she cautioned that that route also has its pitfalls. Some kids who are footing the bill on their own might take longer to graduate or have to drop out because they can’t afford to keep going to school. They also may not take the time to really figure out what they are best suited for in terms of a career.

A sharper focus on the long-term goal of college, rather than the partying aspect, is clearly beneficial. Padilla-Walker noted that many kids are taking longer than the usual four years to graduate from school, and some aren’t really getting a start in life until they are 28 or 30.

“I think most parents would prefer it to be closer to the 25 range,” she said.

Tip of the hat to The New York Times, which first reported on the study.

Related: Senior citizens owe billions in student loans

When you think of student loans, you think of students and recent graduates -- younger people in their 20s and 30s working to pay off the thousands of dollars in debt from undergraduate and graduate schools.

It's a good bet you don't think of people in their 60s, 70s and even 80s struggling to pay off student debt. But new research shows that Americans 60 and older owe $36 billion in educational debt and account for 5 percent of delinquent student loans.

In some cases, the debt was incurred when adults went back to school later in life. In other cases the debt resulted from co-signed loans taken out by children.

Washington Post reporter Ylan Q. Mui, wrote about the research in The Washington Post and appeared on CNBC to discuss the trend:

Andy Kropa/Getty Images

Students attend commencement at Vassar College on May 23, 2010 in Poughkeepsie, New York.

You don’t need a degree in economics or statistics to see that the facts about student loan debt are sobering.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimates that Americans owe $867 billion in student loan debt, and a separate estimate from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the total could even have surpassed $1 trillion.

Part of the issue is that education is getting more expensive. Tuition rates at both public and private colleges have risen substantially in the past decade, even when you adjust for inflation.

But all hope is not lost. This week, Consumer Reports released a report on how to manage -- or better yet avoid --  student loan debt.

If you already have student loan debt, Consumer Reports recommends taking control of the situation. Figure out how much debt you have, to whom you owe it and what repayment options you have.

If you can’t afford your payments, you may be able to get a deferment or even take a job or do a volunteer program that would qualify you for loan forgiveness.

If you’ve exhausted all those options, let the lender know right away that you can’t make your payments. Avoiding the problem will definitely not make it go away.

The best course of action is to avoid taking on debt in the first place. With many people preparing for the coming academic year, now’s a good time to consider some of these tips.

One big piece of advice: Carefully consider going back to school to avoid unemployment. Although hiding out in grad school may seem like a good idea when you can’t find a job, consider whether the extra education will really pay off in terms of salary and career advancement, once you factor in the student loans.

Consumer Reports also recommends that you try to live as frugally as possible and don’t take on student loans for things like furniture for your dorm room. Look to federal loans before considering private loans, since the federal loans will have a fixed rate and the private loans may be variable.

Another tip: Try not to borrow more than you expect to make in your first year of employment.

Consumer Reports also recommends taking whatever courses you can at community college before transferring to the school where you will eventually earn your degree.

It’s also worth considering whether you can get the education you need at a state school rather than splurging for a private school.

A little more than half of public college students graduated with student loan debt in 2009, according to the College Board, and the average debt was $19,800. More than six in 10 graduates of private, nonprofit colleges took on debt with their degree that year, and on average those 2009 graduates owed $26,100.

What are your tips for getting an education without a lot of debt? Share them in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

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Americans are now more educated than ever

Loving the job but hating the student loan debt

Did you opt not to go to college, or were you unable to continue your education after high school?  If so, we want to hear from you for an upcoming story on how career prospects for high school graduates have changed over the years.

If you’re interested in being part of this project, please e-mail us here.

Please share some details, including when you went to high school, why you didn’t go to college, what jobs you’ve held over the years and whether other people in your family went to college.

Also, let us know how to best reach you! Selected responses will be used in upcoming stories.

AP/file

Since her husband was laid off last fall, Julee Schirmacher has found herself in a spot that has become familiar to many families over the past few years. She works full-time for a marketing company and, for now, her husband stays home and takes care of the couple’s two kids, ages 5 and 2.

“Money worries me constantly,” said Schirmacher, 29.

The number of women earning more than their husbands had gradually been rising for years, but the pace appeared to quicken during the Great Recession of 2007-09.

Nearly 38 percent of wives earned more than their husbands in 2009, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up about 3 percentage points from 2008.

As Schirmacher's case shows, in some cases women are earning more than their spouses not because the women are getting ahead, but because their husband has experienced a setback. Schirmacher's husband has been unable to find a job since getting laid off last September.

“Ideally, I would like us just to be working and in stable jobs,” Schirmacher said. “I don’t need to make a $100,000-a-year salary. I just want to be able to make money to be able to pay my bills on time, pay for the school for my kids. I just want to be able to have, like, nice Christmases with them. I want to be able (to say), on Friday when I get home from work, ‘Yeah, we can go to Friendly’s for dinner.’”

The BLS figures include families like Schirmacher's in which the husband may not be working at all. Looking more narrowly at families where both husband and wife are working, 28.9 percent of wives earned more than their husbands in 2009, up from 26.6 percent in 2008.

Mary Gatta, a senior scholar with the advocacy and research organization Wider Opportunities for Women, said it’s hard to say exactly what is behind the trend.

“The recession is a significant factor here in that during the recession we saw higher numbers of men lose their jobs,” Gatta said.

The official period of economic contraction, from December 2007 to June 2009, was so hard on men that some people dubbed it the “mancession” because so many men lost their jobs.

However, in the years of weak economic recovery that followed, women were harder hit while men started to gain jobs again. The trend appears to have started to even out in recent months.

Still, Gatta noted, that there are other, longer-term factors at work. For example, women have been graduating from college at higher rates than men for years. Workers with a college degree generally have higher earnings potential than those without one.

“It’s more than just the recession,” Gatta said.

In general, women’s earnings have become a much more intrinsic part of a family’s financial well-being over the past few decades, said Ellen Galinsky, co-founder of the Families and Work Institute. Her research from 2008 found that in dual-earning households, women were contributing about 45 percent of a family’s income on average.

Even in the families where wives make more than their husbands, she notes, many are struggling to get by – whether they have one or two salaries. In some cases women may be earning more their husbands because he lost a job or endured a pay cut.

“We have an image of (the wives) being the CEO of Xerox or something,” Galinsky said.

In fact, she said, many families in which both spouses work are in lower income brackets.

Galinsky expects that women’s earnings will continue to be key to many family’s financial survival.

“My view about the recession is that … it didn’t shift the course,” she said. “It accelerated the course we were already on.”

Schirmacher, who lives in Pottstown, Pa., always expected that both she and her husband would work.

She was actually the first to get laid off, in 2009. She ended up being out of work for more than two years, during which they had a second child and moved from Rhode Island to the Philadelphia area, where he got a better job.

In February 2011, she landed a job with a marketing company, and it seemed like the couple was getting back on financial track.

But then in September her husband lost his job as a property manager. That’s left him looking for a new job and taking care of the kids so they can save on child care costs.

Schirmacher said the situation is stressful for both of them. She recently took a promotion and has been working long hours, which means she doesn’t always get much time with the kids. Meanwhile, her husband is feeling the frustration of not being able to land a new job.

With just one income, the couple struggles to save money and worries about unexpected expenses. She recently had to borrow money from her parents for a major car repair.

“We can’t really catch a break,” she said. “We’re getting by but definitely not living the way that we were.”

Related:

More women seeking MBAs, but pay gap persists 

U.S. Cenusu Bureau

Amid all the chatter recently about whether President Barack Obama is a “snob” for wanting Americans to be educated or Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorumis anti-education for critizing Obama, many may have missed an important milestone.

The Census Bureau reported last week that a record 30 percent of Americans ages 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree. The data, from March 2011, marks first time ever that such high a proportion of Americans have had at least a four-year degree, and it follows decades of gradually improving higher education rates.

In the long term, experts say, that’s good news for the U.S. economy. After all, the majority of the U.S. economy is service-oriented, and that means many Americans who want to get ahead need to find ways to succeed in white-collar settings. Many also believe a highly educated, innovative workforce is one of several key ingredients succeeding against global competitors.

“The future of the U.S. economy is not assembling the computer. The future of the U.S. economy is coming up with a novel design for a semiconductor that gets into a computer, that will then be assembled in some emerging economy,” said Adolfo Laurenti, deputy chief economist with Mesirow Financial.

And yet, such long-term thinking may not feel so great to the many Americans out there who have a degree but either don’t have the job they want – or don’t have a job at all.

The unemployment rate for college graduates, which stood at 4.2 percent in February, is half the unemployment rate for high school grads but still high by historical norms. Also, although a college degree also generally leads to much higher lifelong earnings, many young grads in particular are feeling squeezed these days by low starting salaries.

“(There are) people who are very disappointed that, yes, they can get a white-collar job but that does not imply the financial success that it used to imply for their father’s generation,” Laurenti said.

In addition, many are burdened by student loan debt from earning that degree.

Another issue that has slowly been gaining attention over the past few years is whether every kid should be aiming to go to college. Manufacturers in particular are increasingly complaining that they can’t find skilled workers to run the more complex, sophisticated factories that are now the norm in America.

These people are calling for a return to the type of vocational training that fell out of favor over the past few decades, amid a push to get more kids to go to college.

Laurenti, the economist, said he is tentatively encouraged by more discussion about how to provide that kind of training to keep those types of factories running. But he thinks high schools need to be doing more to help prepare kids who would do well in those type of skilled factory jobs.

“They are not much interested in people with a bachelor’s degree in political science, but it’s not enough to get people who drop out of high school, either,” he said.

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