Is the tech revolution driving more students toward college or luring them to skip it? And how will this affect the search for talent?
College dropouts who have made millions as entrepreneurs – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, and others – have inspired a growing number of young people to skip college. “Why pay money when I can make money,” is the way kids define the choice to forego school to pursue a business idea. One of them, Dale Stephens, dropped out of Hendrix College in Arkansas and founded UnCollege, a “social movement designed to help you hack your education,” according to the group’s website.
Fuelled by impatience, these students embrace alternatives to college that skip Shakespeare and Socrates in favor of topics such as entrepreneurship and innovation. UnCollege’s manifesto includes 12 steps to self-directed learning. Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, started the Thiel Fellowship, which pays $100,000 to students under 20 to pursue their own ventures. Other sources of alternative education include Zero Tuition College, an online support network for students seeking alternatives to college and Ensuite, which offers two-year apprenticeships with entrepreneurs.
At odds with predictions
This new attitude among students is at odds with predictions about the trends toward jobs requiring more, not less, education. The U.S. Department of Labor finds that 62 percent of U.S. jobs require two- or four-year degrees or higher. By 2020, DOL expects 75 percent of jobs to have these requirements. At the same time, the worldwide supply of talent is also expected to fall short of these needs.
According to Edward Gordon, author of Winning the Global Talent Showdown, the requirement for more education is driven by technology advances, such as social media and mobile devices, which are transforming the nature of work. And it is precisely these tech fields that draw those who eschew college.
Traditional credentials still have many defenders, particularly HR departments seeking to fill high-skill jobs. Even the liberal arts degree has its advocates. George B. Forsythe, President of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, defends the value of a liberal arts degree, particularly as preparation for leadership roles. Writing for the website Under 30 CEO, Forsythe notes that a liberal arts degree “allows students to excel in critical thinking, interdisciplinary and integrative approaches to problem-solving, team-building, and management skills.”
Will the lack of critical thinking, effective communication, and integrating knowledge derail a young person who starts a successful tech company?
“Graduation from a college or university shows an individual’s persistence. Employers look for dedication and focus when considering employment,” says Forsythe.
