Some of the most basics beliefs of the American Dream have come in for questioning  during recent tough economic times. One of those is that going to college assures you of a higher paying job than not going does.

These days, some are beginning to question if a college degree really will help with employment or earnings.

Will a college degree help you get the job you want?

Roughly 48 percent of 2010 college graduates are working at jobs today that don’t require they have a college degree, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier this year. The story quoted a new study from the  Center for College Affordability and Productivity. What’s worse is that 38 percent are in jobs that don’t even require a high school degree, the study reports.

But more recently, another study says that college grads have a lower unemployment rate than non-grads these days, implying that a degree is still worth the time and money. This second study comes from the Pew Charitable Trust.

“It’s indisputable that a full college education puts people at a better economic standing,” Rep. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, a member of the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a story in the Macomb Daily.

Maybe he should check with the center on that one. The bottom line is that college was never intended to guarantee you a job or a high income. To find a job and to maintain a living wage, you need to always be job hunting, whether in college or not, always be honing new skills, and always be preparing yourself for that next job..

John N. Frank