[Dream]

From a macroeconomics point of view, having a more educated populace helps our country in that it is more competitive for firms to open up and provide good jobs here because of a higher supply of educated labor. It reduces their costs. However, the US has fallen behind in the number of people with bachelors degrees (it used to be number one). Also, for certain fields, the requirements have been raised, as you said, for things like accounting and engineering. You do need a masters to be relevant in those areas.

But also we know that a lot of people end up getting jobs out of college that have don't require a college degree, but they needed the degree to get the job because we live in a credentialist society. If you're a manager at starbucks, would you rather hire someone who managed to get a college degree or someone who didn't?

I've accepted that you need a degree and/or experience (usually both) to be relevant. I am majoring in philosophy with a minor in economics (to fulfill gradschool prerequisites), and maybe I'll do an accelerated program in gradschool. Everyone knows that philosophy by itself is irrelevant/impractical (or entirely relevant, depending on your perspective), but it doesn't make a difference what you study as long as you do the prerequisites for gradschool and are a good student. This is assuming you want to go to gradschool.

I agree that it is a messed up system, but I don't know how to fix it. If you don't want to go to gradschool, then you should choose your area of study carefully. Don't assume that just because your degree is in an area of demand that a bachelors will necessarily get you an entry level position. In some cases it will; in others it wont.