It’s becoming clear that traditional four-year institutions are disconnected from the needs of the modern workplace. “Getting a bachelor’s degree is what going to college means to most Americans and is so ingrained in our culture that students who don’t march along are often admonished, questioned and considered failures,” writes Jeff Selingo, author of There Is Life After College. “The decades-long march to college for everyone at 18 has actually closed off rather than opened up options for teenagers and twenty-somethings.” The idea that a fulfilling professional life requires a college degree is pervasive. About 40 percent of American workers hold bachelors degrees, and these degrees are found across almost every profession. However, it’s no surprise that college simply isn’t for everyone, and that many teenagers have skills and talents that could be utilized more productively in different settings and different fields. Apprenticeships, Selingo argues, might be the solution, particularly for struggling industries such as manufacturing. “Employers told me they have a healthy supply of talent for their white-collar office jobs that usually require a bachelor’s degree and sometimes a masters or Ph.D. But that if manufacturing has any hope of making a rebound in the U.S., there is a desperate need for younger workers with technical hands-on skills that require training after high school,” he writes.