A California creator recently went viral after admitting she’s been laid off three times in two years despite holding four college degrees — three bachelor’s in Spanish, communications, and dance, plus a master’s in journalism — and her post set off a national conversation about education and employment. The story isn’t a fluke: it shows what happens when credentialism replaces common sense and students chase diplomas instead of useful skills.

Instead of sympathy, the internet reacted with blunt honesty: many commenters called it out as “majoring in hobbies” and questioned why anyone would pile up debt for majors with weak job pipelines. The creator defended her credentials and blamed a tough job market, but Americans watching the clip don’t buy the idea that more degrees automatically equal readiness for steady, well-paying work.

Let’s be clear: some liberal-arts graduates do very well later in life — research even shows STEM majors often start with higher pay but that gap can narrow by midcareer — but that long-game argument doesn’t help a 24-year-old with rent, loans, and no paycheck. Parents and students need transparent data about short-term ROI, not inspirational brochures and empty promises. The New York Times analysis of midcareer earnings makes the point that initial salary advantages can fade, which is why honest career counseling matters.

Meanwhile taxpayers and families are stuck holding the bag for a runaway student-debt crisis while colleges keep churning out degrees with dubious market value. Americans owe more than a trillion and a half dollars in student loans, a bill that can’t be ignored when graduates leave school unprepared for the real economy. This isn’t merely an academic debate — it’s a debt-and-accountability crisis that demands fiscal responsibility.

There’s a straightforward remedy that Democrats barely talk about: promote pathways that actually lead to jobs. Shorter technical programs, apprenticeships, healthcare administration, IT certifications, and community-college trades deliver solid starting pay and long-term stability — the very options parents urged their kids to consider decades ago. Evidence and program listings show real ROI in these fields; we should be elevating them, not denigrating them as second-rate.

Instead of shame, colleges should be forced to publish honest placement and earnings records so families can make informed choices. It’s outrageous that elite universities can spend millions on marketing while front-line vocational programs struggle for funding — and then expect bailouts when graduates can’t repay loans. Accountability isn’t cruel; it’s the only way to restore value to higher education and protect taxpayers.

Hardworking Americans deserve a system that rewards effort and utility, not endless excuses and handouts for poor planning. If our leaders really cared about the next generation, they’d demand transparency from universities, reject blanket loan forgiveness for avoidable risk-taking, and expand real-job training programs that build prosperity — not more diplomas that look good on a wall but don’t put food on the table.