[Coda]

I live in Los Angeles too. >.> So... not sure what to tell you there?

Degree beats non-degree if the two candidates have no past experience, because the degree is proof of effort. But have you ever seen someone with a degree but no work experience get compared to someone without a degree but with four years of work in the field?

First jobs are a completely different contest than serious career jobs. Yeah, it's important to get a first job, but you're only ever going to do it ONCE. If you don't have a degree, then find a journeyman-level job that WILL take you so you can GET experience, even if it doesn't pay well. After you've got on-the-job training, your qualifications will be just as good as someone who got a degree. And instead of PAYING money, you've been EARNING it -- even if it's a low salary, it's still positive cash flow.

I don't know where you're getting that information about vocational schools. You bring up cosmetology; what do you think a cosmetology certification IS? It's a vocational school! And in the tech industry, the short-term boot camps even have a GUARANTEE -- you get a job within a certain amount of time of graduating, or you don't pay for the tuition.