Will you still need a college education in 2040? 6 Experts Explain

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I work in higher education and we are having these conversations more lately. Very interesting read; thank you for sharing!

Harvard Executive Education has created an annual half a billion-dollar business annually with #5 and $#6 as a core reason why.  Undergrads bring in the least $$ there.  Even public universities like the Rutger Busines School (RBS) is doing it.  The one thing universities suck at but a few community colleges are starting to do is stackable credentials.

Honestly, I think community colleges are more insulated against these types of changes than major universities. We have tech/trade programs that are easily adaptable and stackable. My organization is currently working on this as we speak with Harvard's Guided Pathways initiative. Not to mention, at $85 a credit, we're a much more affordable option. Applied Science degrees, certificates, and micro degrees are the way of the future. We regularly hold panels with our industry partners and we consistently hear how frustrated they are with all of the "fluff" in curriculum.

The amount of fluff, or extra useless courses that these schools pack in are insane and just a waste of time.  I simply never understood it.  They should cut a lot of the fluff and reduce the amount of time it takes to get a degree, while focusing on the courses that actually teach students hirable skills.

A lot of that has to do with certain laws and other mandates surrounding curriculum, but it doesn't make it any less ridiculous. Some of our certificate programs aren't eligible for financial aid because they don't meet certain requirements. At times, schools have to choose between offering financial aid eligibility or cutting right to the chase. It's a ridiculous game that hurts students either way. Either they can't receive financial help for the program of their choice, or they have to spend 3-5 times as long to get it. This is where companies and employees benefit from creating their own training and "schools". Amazon has done this very thing, and that's just the beginning. 

Community colleges are better suited to partner with business and industry to create competent employees. As I mentioned before, I think universities will have a more difficult time doing this. My organization has partnered with Apple to train employees/students how to code. We were one of the first 6 institutions in the nation to do this. It's just a simple, 12 credit (4 classes) certificate program. Students are graduating from this program and going to work for Apple making 40-60k right off the bat! This is how it's done!