What kind of job that can be had with a college degree in Native American LGBT Study do you think can't be had with a highschool education?
I'm not sure that I've ever heard of that particular major but I get the gist of what you are saying. However, it's been my experience that college graduates oftentimes get jobs over non-educated applicants because employers recognize that to get a degree in [em]anything[/em] usually requires subject matter comprehension, communication skills (including paper writing), punctuality, regular attendance, and the ability to follow instructions -- all traits of the good employee.
Something similar goes for former servicemen. Many military MOS's ("job descriptions") have direct application in civilian live but others do not. However, even if you are a basic infantrymen, an employer will not discount military service altogether, given the discipline and leadership skills that nearly every soldier is instilled with. The difference in hiring may be only a few percent but it's there.
Of course, if the hypothetical person got a degree in Native American LGBT studies because they found that it was the easiest path to a degree and had little desire to apply themselves to anything other than partying and spending their parents' money, then a driven high school graduate with a "go getter" attitude would almost surely be equally if not more employable.
In my case, employability and experience were never much of an issue. However, I grew up in a time and place where kids and young adults had ample opportunity for any work they wanted to do. Dad was constantly fielding calls from farmers who knew that he had two boys and needed a few as farm hands. By the time I had graduated high school I had farmed for three summers, worked construction for another and also worked as a janitor and electronics shop helper after school. I farmed another summer and had another janitorial job in college before I went into the military. When I went back to college and looked for a job to supplement my GI Bill they just fell into my lap. I didn't even have to ask -- employers came to me. I've never applied for a job in my life. I find that if you are willing to actually work then you will have more job opportunities than you can handle.
For those who whine that they don't have experience, all I have to say is that you gain work experience by working. On one of the tech forums on which I post we have an educational and career section. Most of the technicians on the site are or have been in the IT field or other industries for twenty years or more. Their advice is almost always to get a job, any job, in order to gain work experience while pursuing certifications. Far too many young adults have an inflated sense of their own worth and a huge sense of self-entitlement that makes them think of that stock boy or clerk job as beneath them or not relevant to their career goals.
