More Degrees, More Debt, Still Broke (And It's Getting Worse)

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]from somebody that has five degrees and has been searching for almost a year and still hasn't gotten a job.

[00:00:06]>> Take this advice.

[00:00:08]>> Stop getting the degrees. They don't mean crap. If your profession doesn't require you to have a degree, >> don't go get one.

[00:00:21]>> Literally, they don't mean nothing. They want you to have experience.

[00:00:26]>> They don't care about these degrees.

[00:00:28]Matter of fact, matter of fact, matter of fact, go get you a trade. If you going to go to school, get you a hard skill, a trade.

[00:00:37]>> Well, well, well. It's not looking good for the degree collectors. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:00:42]Yeah. You know, the people that collect degrees like like Infinity Stones.

[00:00:48]>> The hardest choices require the strongest wills. I did a video on this a while ago and you remember the lady who u had degrees in high school electives, dance, SPANISH, YOU KNOW, all that type of stuff. Um, it's not looking good, BUT IT'S GOTTEN WORSE THAN THAT, GUYS.

[00:01:08]IT'S GOTTEN WORSE. YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY, YOU KNOW, RAGU sauce is $20.

[00:01:13]YOU KNOW THAT CHICKEN, MEAT, everything is expensive.

[00:01:19]So, what else you think is expensive?

[00:01:22]DEGREES. HUH? But unfortunately, a lot of people think this is the time. This is the time. THIS IS THE TIME TO GET A DEGREE. MORE DEGREES. WE'RE NOT talking about your first degree. We're not talking about your second degree. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH DEGREE. You think this is the best time to go to school. MHM. YOU GOT LAID OFF OF YOUR JOB AND YOU SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT? INSTEAD OF FINDING ANOTHER JOB, I'm going back to school, racking up a 100K in debt.

[00:01:54]But listen, listen. We're gonna we're gonna get to it, guys. We're going to get to it. You need to watch this video.

[00:02:00]Hopefully, you're not ONE OF THESE PEOPLE THAT think that this is a great time to get your FIFTH OR SIXTH DEGREE.

[00:02:06]I MEAN, we're going to get to it.

[00:02:10]MY NAME is Orlando. Welcome to the channel, guys. Make sure you hit that like and subscribe button. It really does help out the channel. WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO 200,000 subscribers and I need your help to get there. Guys, if I give you value, please hit that subscribe button. Guys, you know what I'm about to say. I have a newsletter and it's completely free. How can you beat free?

[00:02:29]You cannot beat it. Also, in this newsletter, we're going to talk about the things that you already love. We're we're talking about budgeting, saving, credit, layoffs, the economy, housing market, all the things we talk on this channel, but in more detail. Join us.

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[00:03:01]For 20 years. And I can assist you with that. That information is in the pin comment in the description. Well, you heard the lady in the very first clip.

[00:03:09]She said, "Guys, listen. We don't need to continue to get degrees and degrees and degrees and and listen and listen, I'm I'm all about higher education, but don't you think five degrees is killing it >> a little bit."

[00:03:22]>> It's funny because people get on me all the time. ORLANDO, WHAT ARE YOU talking about, man? I can't save. I can't save.

[00:03:29]I can't save, but I'm going back to school and spending 80K. BRO, COME ON.

[00:03:34]>> MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. IN A DOWN ECONOMY, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING all the money from? Uh, that but just weren't YOU COMPLAINING? I JUST HEARD YOU THE OTHER DAY complaining about student loans and how they were eating you up. Simply ain't right. And then now you get laid off at Pepsi and you say, "Well, you know what? I probably need to go back to school to get my fifth degree, my fourth degree. Let's even break it down. My third degree. That's a great idea.

[00:04:09]>> I'M WITH THAT.

[00:04:09]>> SO, WHAT DID THE other degrees that you have, one, two, and three, what didn't they get you? I'm just a guy on YouTube.

[00:04:17]What do I know? I mean, I'm not here to tell you it's a waste of money. I am telling YOU THAT, BUT I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE ME. BUT WHAT IF I SHOWED YOU? WHAT IF I SHOWED YOU HAVING ALL THESE degrees doesn't give you a return on investment?

[00:04:32]>> Monnique Wells works a few days a week at Jack's Barbecue, a part-time job she enjoys, but it's not what she had planned after earning a bachelor's in behavioral studies from American Baptist College and a master's in organizational leadership from TCA.

[00:04:45]>> It's something you need to be able to get better paying jobs, but then in the same token, it comes along with a big debt. It comes along with a lot of debt.

[00:04:53]She owes more than $110,000 in student loans. And after losing her full-time job in November, she's questioning those degrees.

[00:05:01]>> I just keep getting that email back saying that we've gone with a better candidate or a more qualified person.

[00:05:07]>> Her search comes as the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce reports 84 of the state's 95 counties had unemployment below 5% in January.

[00:05:16]But for this single mother of four, including one with special needs, finding work has been anything but easy.

[00:05:21]She says with her family, her part-time income does not cover her mortgage.

[00:05:27]>> She's nearly $10,000 behind >> if I don't come up with the money. You know, I'm pretty for sure it'll be having to go into foreclosure at some point and then I'll lose my home.

[00:05:37]>> Did you hear what she said? Multiple degrees and is going to lose her home.

[00:05:42]Multiple degrees and sweeping up the PARKING LOT.

[00:05:45]>> THAT'S CRAZY.

[00:05:47]>> Listen guys, you're not going TO HEAR ME. I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE GUY TO SAY that that's too good OF A JOB. I'M NOT GOING TO BE THAT GUY. I CAN TELL YOU THIS, those degrees that she took, you know, the 80k per degree. Mhm. That that she didn't put this in her calculations that this would be her job. Did you hear what I just said? She has multiple degrees and she's doing this job. Damn.

[00:06:13]Even though she has the degrees, her house is about to go into foreclosure.

[00:06:18]Now, some would say some would say that maybe the degrees wasn't a good investment.

[00:06:27]>> Really?

[00:06:29]Now, I know I know some people are in the comment section, some people watching this video are say, Orlando, you're wrong for this. You're you're wrong for this. People need higher education. And I would agree with you, but is there a point of overkill? I I JUST WANT TO KNOW. IS THERE IS THERE A POINT AT where you're spending 80k on each degree and you won't get a return on your investment? Meaning meaning the job that you're going to get equals out to more than you put into the degree.

[00:07:03]>> I like it. THAT'S GENIUS.

[00:07:06]>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS. Do you think that it's necessary for you to be at a job that does not ask you to get another degree and then you say, "I WANT A MASTER'S DEGREE." OH, >> HELL NO. LET ME ASK YOU THIS ONE MORE TIME. THE JOB THAT YOU CURRENTLY WORK FOR DOES NOT REQUIRE A DEGREE and then you say, "I'm going to get my master's degree. I'm going to get my MBA." But does your job require it? Oh, it doesn't.

[00:07:35]So, so what do you think you're going to get a raise that's equal to 80K?

[00:07:44]I'm just asking. Show me the math.

[00:07:46]>> I disagree.

[00:07:49]>> But I get it. I get it.

[00:07:52]I get it. Orlando doesn't know what he's talking about. Orlando doesn't understand that the more degrees that you have equals the more money you're going to receive. Listen, I and listen, you would be right cuz Orlando doesn't realize it. I This is a new phenomenon to me. So, please explain to me Orlando and the rest of the class how you think every degree that you get will add more money.

[00:08:22]I mean, ju just let's watch.

[00:08:24]>> Why do you think because you have a bachelor's or a master's degree that you could get any job? Like you'll complain and say, "I can't even get a retail job.

[00:08:32]I can't even get a cashier job. I can't even get a front desk position. Last week, we were hiring for the front desk.

[00:08:38]And people were say, well, I have a bachelor's. I have a masters, but you don't have any front desk experience. We have less than two weeks to train people. And we need customer service skills. We need you be able to deescalate situations. We need you to be able to it's not just greeting somebody at the front desk. We need to understand some of our software, some of the apps.

[00:08:56]>> We need you to already understand these things, how to work with the team. So some of the things that you think don't require any experience, they still require some soft skills that some of you just don't have. And just because you say that you have the degree, it doesn't mean, oh, let me hire her the person that has the five years of front desk experience versus the person that just got their bachelor's degree >> and something completely irrelevant to the position.

[00:09:21]>> They're going to hire the person with the experience for the position. So just because you have a degree does not mean that you can just get any job. In fact, I would say don't even put your degrees on there. When I first moved to Atlanta, I um had my masters, but my first job was a senior executive admin. I did not need to put a degree on there. But when I decided I wanted to get into management, I put my bachelor's on there and they verified that and I was able to get the promotion. And then when I decided to become a director, it required a master's degree, but it said prefer masters preferred. But I put my masters on there. They like when did you get your masters? I already had it, but I never put all my degrees out there.

[00:09:57]Those are your cards. You remember Uno?

[00:09:59]>> I get it. You weren't hiding your degrees from the world. You were hiding the world from your degrees. I I get it.

[00:10:06]I get it. Listen. Listen. It's It's no biggie.

[00:10:11]Are your degrees worth anything if you have to hide them and collect them like baseball cards? But the only difference is is these aren't 90 cent baseball cards. These are $100,000 pieces of paper.

[00:10:27]>> Covering it with paper don't make it all right.

[00:10:29]>> YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? LIKE, do you think this is a good idea? I I'm just asking for everyone else. You think it's a good idea to have multiple degrees, hide them, and then just pop them up in promotions and be like, "Yeah, I had a master's degree." Whoop! Guys, look. I'm a doctor.

[00:10:52]I never told anyone that that I I'm a doctor. I'm a, you know, I never TOLD ANYBODY, BUT I AM. They'll pay me $100,000 extra.

[00:11:04]>> Now, do you think that's a good strategy for a job THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WILL DO THIS?

[00:11:14]LISTEN, you know what's the diabolical thing about this? Someone will think that they need to do this and they will do this exact scenario. GO GET FIVE DEGREES, hide them, and then just pop them up and think that they're going to get hired and the job will be like, "OH, THAT'S NICE. OH, WE'RE GOING TO HIRE JULIE over here." Yeah. Yeah. She's she's a friend of, you know, George upstairs.

[00:11:39]>> They ask you how you are, you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine. And I hate to be the person to bust this bubble for you, but a lot of times you will see even in this scenario, you heard the lady say that you have a bachelor's degree and you're trying to apply for retail, right? And you don't even need you don't even really need a degree to get that job.

[00:12:02]>> Uh do you believe me? While I think higher education is very very very important, I AM HERE TO TELL YOU it is just a barrier of entry to most jobs.

[00:12:16]See, most jobs say you need to have a bachelor's degree because they WANT TO PUSH OUT ALL OF THE RIFFRAFF. LET LET ME EXPLAIN this to you how this works. Job says we need a bachelor's degree. PEOPLE WHO WENT AND GOT THAT bachelor's degree, that's the barrier of entry. PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE, those people the employer DIDN'T WANT ANYWAY.

[00:12:38]NOW, JUST BECAUSE you have said bachelor's degree, the barrier OF ENTRY, DOES NOT MEAN you're guaranteed a job.

[00:12:47]It just means you're in the group of yeses minimally.

[00:12:52]>> Thumbs up.

[00:12:53]>> But here's where the math gets a little cloudy for people.

[00:12:59]NOW, IF YOU ADD ON FOUR MORE BACHELOR'S DEGREE, let's even throw in a master's.

[00:13:07]That does not mean that the yeses get stronger. Wait, what? It just means you have a bunch of degrees, a bunch of time on your hand to go do said degrees.

[00:13:20]It does not mean you are guaranteed a $250,000 job.

[00:13:27]It does not mean that you probably will get and I'm just estimating here a 60k job with five degrees average.

[00:13:40]>> Employers don't care how many degrees you have. Whether you double majored what your minor's in, I would know. I double majored and I got a minor all in STEM. I managed to do it in four years.

[00:13:49]Nobody cared. It doesn't matter. And I had a pretty good GPA, too. Nobody cares, dude. Unless you go to like a top school or something where that name recognition really matters. You go to MIT, you're going to get a job. Top schools, fine. But if you just go to even a top 50 school, which I did, they don't care. It's not the degree that matters. It's going to be the soft skills, which I did not have. Took a long time to build. I even got a master's degree for fun. It didn't help me get any jobs. It's literally you. You sell yourself. And that's what interviewing is.

[00:14:14]>> And see, this is the this is the deal that I have. I talk to people all day long. no matter if it's they're trying to do real estate investing or just in general with consulting and everyone tells me, "I don't have the money. I don't have the money. I don't have the money." And then I see you applying to another degree.

[00:14:34]>> Oh, Orlando, the the this is a great THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM. IT'S ONLY A TWO-YEAR program at 60K.

[00:14:40]>> Where'd you get 60K from?

[00:14:42]Oh, you you you Okay. Okay. You filled out that. Okay. Okay. you you do know you still have to pay that back and you already got three other degrees and they didn't get you where you wanted TO GET.

[00:14:57]BUT I GET YOU. I GET YOU. YOU think this fourth one and you're up to 400,000 in in debt and you think this is going to work for you. No, it won't. It's going to put you in more debt.

[00:15:08]>> Get ready because let me explain this to you. You took out all of that debt. Yes.

[00:15:14]Yes. You took out all of that debt and then even if you were to get the job, it's entry level. Do you know what entry level pay is? Not what you thought five degrees would GET YOU.

[00:15:26]I CAN TELL YOU that much.

[00:15:32]I'm going to say something that makes people in academia very uncomfortable and it's that a cheaper degree outperforms an expensive one a lot of the time. And here's why. First, debt to income ratio. If two people earn the same credential, but one graduates with 15K in debt and the other graduates with 90K in debt, the cheaper degree wins financially almost every time. Second is opportunity cost. Less debt means more flexibility. You can take lower paying entry roles, switch fields, go to grad school, or say no to bad jobs. Third, you're getting the same credential potentially with a different price tag.

[00:16:06]In a lot of fields, employers care that you have the degree, not where you paid the most for it. Fourth, employer reimbursement logic. Many jobs cap tuition reimbursement. If your program is affordable, your employer might cover most or all of the cost. Now, when does paying more actually make sense? When you have access to elite networks, specialized training, or careers where pedigree truly opens doors, which I talked about in another video I posted a week ago or something. But for most people, cost matters. Strategy matters more. Choose a degree that works for your goals, not your ego. See, now you heard this young lady tell you this, and I can guarantee you that someone in the background said, "You know what? Um, I heard what she said. I heard what she said. Uh, but um I'm going to go I'm still going to go try to get the most expensive school and the degree." Yes.

[00:16:56]Yes. I I want to go to a school. I want to get a degree in um in hospitality.

[00:17:02]Yeah. Yeah. And instead of paying 20K at my local, you know, at my at my local community college or 10K for the degree, you know what? I'm going to go to Colorado State. Mhm. Take a class there because they're elite.

[00:17:19]And I just scratched my head and like uh elite for who? You you can't be talking about you. You don't know anyone in Colorado.

[00:17:32]Not one person.

[00:17:35]And you think your network is strong?

[00:17:38]>> Why are you crazy?

[00:17:39]>> Like my wife always tells me, Orlando, it's possible. And she went to school for actuary, right? So I always say, well, is it probable? And then she always changes her mind and go, well, listen, that's another story.

[00:17:52]That that's another story.

[00:17:55]My point is at the end of the day, guys, is that while we're in a bad economy and while these employers and these companies are telling you guys, look, things are we're going to tighten things up and what, this is not the time to think to yourself, you know what? Um, I'm going to get into a lot of debt following my dream of, you know, running a hotel and then spending 80, 60, 40k on a degree when you're already in debt.

[00:18:24]you already HAVE MULTIPLE DEGREES AND THEY'RE JUST SITTING ON A SHELF somewhere doing nothing and you think buying more and more degrees from these schools is going to change your situation. It's obvious the strategy isn't there versus you just buying more degrees hoping that these companies THAT I TELL YOU NOT TO BE LOYAL to will pick you up like an NBA draft >> with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers select LeBron James.

[00:19:01]>> Anyway, guys, I could talk about this all day. I could talk about this all day and you know I could. But if you love content like this, please join the Patreon. We do exclusive videos over there. You will love it. Also too, guys, you won't get all of your information from this one video. I need you to watch this video right here. Yes, this one right here. It will give you information on the housing market, financial dues, and get you into your first rental property. I will see you guys in the next one. Thanks.