Is going to college worth the effort and expense? That's a question that will be grappled with on upcoming episodes of Patricia Heaton's "The Middle" — and a question that the actress admits is being considered at home as well. The eldest of Heaton's four sons is in college now, but her 17-year-old, a senior in high school, is another story.

"Whether he'll go to college, we're not sure yet. That's been a challenge, to see what is going to happen. Usually that's the track — high school, college. And when that's not a certainty, it's 'Hm. This is something new we'll have to figure out,'" she acknowledges.

Interestingly, Heaton's "The Middle" press conference at the TV Critics Association tour last week followed a panel featuring four of the stars of "Shark Tank" — who spent a good bit of time talking about college degrees being overrated in a number of fields, especially considering the entrepreneurs such as themselves who've succeeded without formal education. Heaton, who likes her show to be reflective of what's going on out in America, notes, "There's a whole big school of thought now that questions, is it worth paying all that money and getting into debt, then getting out and not being able to find a job? Why would you do that to yourself when you can actually just go online and learn everything you need to learn on your own, you know? You wonder. When you see some of the people, actually a lot of people I work with — Brad Garrett didn't go to college, Ray Romano — I don't know if he ever actually graduated or not," she notes, speaking of her former "Everyone Loves Raymond" cast mates. "Steve Jobs dropped out. You don't have to have a degree to be successful."

Of course, getting a university education worked out well for Heaton herself: She earned a B.A. in drama from Ohio State University and went on to study with famed drama coach William Esper in New York. And Romano cared enough about his education to return to Queens College in Flushing, New York, years after dropping out and make the Dean's List for three years running.

Anyway, this isn't the first time Heaton's family has inspired "The Middle" storylines. As showrunner Eileen Heisler put it, "Patty has a funny family and a funny life. So we just lurk around the stage and [ask] 'How's it going with your kids?'"

Heaton's happy with the season that just launched. "I think we're at a point now where there's so much to explore with the characters — a wealth of opportunity with the writers," she tells us. "When kids are going through their formative years, there's always great stuff to mine."

She's aware that in many ways, "The Middle" is carrying the mantle for family sitcoms. And, "That's really important to me. I appreciate all kinds of shows, but I think people crave shows they can watch with their families, and there really aren't any on. I mean, my favorite show is 'The Walking Dead,' and that's not really for everybody," she deadpans. "It's nice that I'm on show that is for everybody."

As for her own home life, Heaton says she feels lucky. "It worked out that when I was on 'Raymond' and my kids were very small, when they needed me to be around I was able to be around. They could come to work with me because we rehearsed for four days, and then I was off every fourth week and my hours were very short. And now that they're older, they leave at 7 in the morning, and they're in a play or sports, so they don't get home 'til 6:30 or 7 — the same hours I work. So it really worked out well that my schedule and their schedules meshed with both shows."

Well known for her church-going ways and Republican politics (though a supporter of gay rights), Heaton insists she's done just fine, thanks very much, making her way in liberal Hollywood. "I find that most of the people I've worked with are solid family people who, just like anyone else, they work hard, they're good at what they do, and they like to go home and be with their families. I've been fortunate that that's who I've been able to work with. I've never had to deal with any craziness."

And that's saying a lot.

To find out more about Stacy Jenel Smith and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.