Let's think about this practically. Will this really have that much of a negative impact? I see this as an opportunity to improve our post-secondary education system. If there is a chance that someone who is barely able to graduate can sue the school for not finding a job, wouldn't that be a catalyst to increase the difficulty of classes? Wouldn't that drive universities, colleges, trade schools, etc. to require that their students excel before they are turned out into the workplace? Wouldn't these changes strengthen the value of having a degree? I say that the system should take this as a sign that maybe it's too easy to get a degree and it's time to bring back the challenge.

To supplement the parent post's McDonald's reference, Wal-Mart managers (a position which requires a college education, such as the one Ms. Thompson received) make pretty good bank. My first IT job offer that I got after I graduated with my Bachelor's degree actually had a smaller salary and required longer work hours than being a salaried Wal-Mart manager (which I had looked into since I worked at Wal-Mart throughout college). In fact, the store manager raked in a 6-figure income.

Where did you get your medical degree again? Anyway, the parent post made me realize that I may have found a use for all of the Canadian Pharmacy spam I get...

As someone that recently made the decision, I have to agree with the general message here. A master's degree is a great investment, but it probably will not pay off immediately. There is an advantage and a disadvantage because you look like a more attractive prospect to some companies, but sometimes you look too good and it sets a psychology that they will have to pay you an exorbitant salary to acquire/keep you as an employee. It is going to come into play more when you are up for a promotion in 5 years or so, because someone with a master's degree looks much more appropriate for a management or senior position. I would recommend getting your master's if you really want it, as it is difficult to do a master's degree while working full time in the IT industry. The best thing to do if you decide to get your master's would be to work a part-time/co-op/intern position at a respectable IT company so you get the experience and the degree.

You might also want to look into applicable industry certifications. I can't speak to the C++ world, but in the Java world there is the SCJP certification that would look good and show that you know what you're doing despite not having a degree. Likewise, in the Microsoft world there is the MCSE certification. To break into the general field of computers, you could look into A+ certification (or any of the CompTIA certifications). Likewise, if you can do any kind of training that is recognized by the industry, that would definitely help out.

Two years ago, I saw an audience screening of a movie called "Killshot" [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443559/] that has yet to be released. These aren't so rare, as the theater at which I saw this screening has screenings nearly every week.

The thing you should consider is whether your stock increases are out pacing inflation. If you have neither lost nor made anything in 10 years, your money that you invested has less value now. However, if you put that money in a high-yield savings account with no earning cap, chances are that the money will be worth more now than when you initially invested. For example, if you purchased $10,000 (US) in stock ten years ago, it would have to be worth $13,422.27 today to pace inflation according to http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm. The savings account calculator at http://www.capitalone.com/directbanking/online-savings-account/calculator.php shows that, over 10 years (at today's APR of 3.55%) you would have approximately $14,169 in 10 years. You can imagine how that scales over the next 40 years. I say cash out your stocks now and put your money in a savings account if you want a sure thing.