Value Of College Liberal Arts Education

A college education is valuable in the following ways:

It demonstrates a person's ability to visualize and follow through on a 4-year goal to get a degree. In other worlds it shows perseverance. Not everyone has the ability to make this commitment.
It provides an opportunity to develop responsibility by breaking away from parental bonds. For many it is the first time that one has to manage finances, do laundry, fix meals, etc.
It allows a person to get to know himself/herself and discover his/her social and professional abilities and limitations.
It provides a unique opportunity to postpone the mundane work-a-day world and parental responsibilities that many people have to jump into at an early age. It allows additional time for maturation and reflection.
It teaches a person how to manage stress and time in preparation for life's challenges. In short it "tests your metal."
It is a mechanism by which employers can cull out applicants. College graduates are generally more knowledgeable, responsible, and ambitious than those who did not get a college degree. Who would you want to hire?

The ability to sample many subjects and find something you will love for the rest of your life -in other words, to find your passion. It allows one to investigate a variety of topics vicariously to ferret out unknown interests, strengths and weaknesses. I like to say each course one takes has the potential to turn on "lights" in the mind where previously there may have only been darkness. As an example, I was required to take an Art History course that was not in my major and was subsequently surprised that afterwards I began to read articles on the history of art that previously I would have overlooked. I also changed my major while in college as I discovered that my real interest was in Biology and not Pharmacy or Veterinary Medicine.
A well rounded education teaches the basics of communication and math that stand anyone in good stead no matter what career he/she chooses.

In short, a liberal arts college education generally makes a person healthier, wealthier, and wiser than a person without a degree.