Would you get a degree for an extra $500 a week?

Without hesitation.

I know the question specifically says degree (4 year college inferred), but lets take off the academia blinders for just one minute.
Education and perseverance are the two most basic principles to success. It is very difficult to succeed without both. Apply that thought to anything...going on a mission? What do you do? You gather intel (educate) and you train (in order to persevere). Starting a new company? You gather intel (educate) and you get to decide which 80 hours you will work that week (persevere). I could go on and on with example after example.
The "degree" is the tool used by industry to see if you have the basic ability to learn and to persevere.
I am a huge proponent of the trades, and while you do not need a bachelors degree to become a welder or an HVAC technician, you will need certifications to be employable by companies (that are not personally or family owned). The reason those certifications are needed goes back my statement that the "degree" is a tool industry uses to judge your value to the company.
All of that explaining to simply say that the original question should state certifications, apprenticeships and degrees, because they are all used to show success.

No.....I would not.

Unless the degree program was in something that I truly wanted to do. I know way to many people who hate their jobs but are stuck in them because of student loans and financial obligations.

Additionally in several cases the cost of a degree does not out weigh the potential financial gain vs the inherent workload. For example a Middle School teacher in North Carolina for which a bachelors in education is required has a starting pay is between $31K and $35K ....let's just call it $32.5K for argument...this means you make $625 a week (extrapolated for a year of course) or $15.63/hr pre tax. Were as a medical assistant in the same state with zero experience who has completed an 8 hour "certification" course makes $15/hr or $31,200 a year. In my opinion, and seeing what my wife, the teacher, has to do in her job I humbly submit that the long hours of grading papers at home/working on lesson plans, additional duties, lost weekends, and be subjected to unappreciative kids and even worse parents is not worth the extra $1300 a years (which is less than what her student loan payments are....so in reality the non-educated medical assistant has more initial disposable income than her.)

Anyway I guess what i'm saying is that a degree does not guarantee you anything make sure that if you are going to school its for something that you want and love to do....the cost differential is many jobs is not as great as people think.

Not even going to go into the whole let's raise national min wage thing....which in all reality will just continue to devalue the cost of education and the benefits of having a degree even more.

Anyway soapbox put away...peace, love, and democracy to all.

interesting since I was the only one without a degree at my secret service and border patrol interviews and testing. But hey working in the engineering department of a Major railroad will do.

MAJ Laurie H. Ma'am, I earned both a Bachelor and Master's degree while serving. I work for the USG post retirement (although vastly underpaid) and use my MA as a platform for me to teach at a local college in my field of study. I do not believe my degrees have obtained me any additional pay but may have been an edge in being employed (not convinced but willing to accept the possibility), but my degree does earn about $350 extra per week teaching, but as a secondary job.

The highest paying do not surprise me. Thank you for your post / question and allowing me the opportunity to respond.

I would get a bachelors degree to further my knowledge, however, getting more pay doesn't hurt.

a college education is important and sets you up to make more money in the future

Yes I went back to college after dropping out to enlist in the Marine Corps. And I would do it again for $500.00. $500.00 could provide a potential increase to $5000.00 because of a college education.

YES

This is very true. I have two degrees, Business Admin and Accounting. Before I finished my degrees, I found it very difficult to find a job. Once I got my degrees, I received more emails about wanting to meet, mostly from recruiters who work with companies to find people who are a good fit for the open positions. After doing some temporary jobs, I get phone calls and emails every other day. I am in another temp position but am in the final interview stage for a permanent position in Accounting. Pick a field that you are interested in and get a degree in it. Then find out if there are any certifications you can get by having that degree. Certifications make you more appealing to companies. Also work with recruiters. They can help you adjust your resume and make it look more appealing.

I have ten years experience in the Coast Guard, a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, and Business Administration with a specialization in Finance. I am a QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Enterprise Pro Advisor, and a Bill.com certified Expert. I am also starting to study for the CPA exam, which will make me more appealing to companies. These things along with only one year of real accounting experience makes me stand out from the, sometimes, hundreds of resumes, a hiring manager might see. It is all about making yourself stand out more than anyone else. Working with recruiting firms can also help you a lot. Because of one recruiting firm, I was able to get some exposure to SAP, another accounting program.

What is important to caution folks on is some fields can not absorb all the graduates that are produced. It is not as simple as A+B=C. I would recommend to anyone pursuing a degree that they look not only at current demand but projected demand. I would also look at fields where there is overlap into other fields. I would also say that specialized fields without degrees are overlooked, like machining and welding.