We're hearing so much talk of how this is an equal opportunity recession -- how no matter what you make or where you work, you might lose your job.

That kind of talk is being coupled with chatter about how a college degree may no longer be of value, that it's better to learn a trade or a skill.

Is it true? Have we reached a watershed moment where college no longer pays off? No way, according to an article in The Orlando Sentinel.

Here's the rundown: Unemployment among people with bachelor's degrees is at 4.4%, while the national rate is hovering around 9%. Meanwhile, for those who dropped out of high school, the rate of unemployment is sitting around 15%!

Degrees are not bulletproof -- you still could be pink-slipped -- but they give you some level of assurance against joblessness.

Mind you, this is not to belittle those who skip the traditional school route and learn a trade. College, after all, is not for everyone.

It's what Clark calls "the nothingness" that's problematic -- not finishing high school, not going to college or not having a specific skill or trade.

With the dreaded liberal arts degree, you're not qualified on paper to do anything. Yet plenty of people still forge a career path with liberal arts degrees.

Christa, for example, was an English major who worked as a receptionist once she got out of school. But she was able to seize an opportunity to work at AOL during the company's heyday.

From there, she went to work for Clark launching the first incarnation of his website. And then eventually she became executive producer for the show. It was a haphazard path that wouldn't have worked without a degree.

So don't believe the hype; college still matters.