How do you redefine something that is known globally? Simple: you repurpose it. The Baccalaureate, more commonly known as the Bachelor’s degree, has been the base standard of higher education for centuries. It maintains its influence even today. It is the foundational degree for a professional and mostly white-collar career.
The Bachelors has traditionally been a symbol of the haves and have not in certain circles. While the degree doesn’t guarantee a higher salary, it tends to lean in that direction based on historical evidence (Association of Public Land and Grant Universities, n.d).
As the saying goes, all things must come to an end. With the rapidly changing global economic winds, the bachelor’s degree has failed to keep pace with the skills deemed relevant in the workplace, especially in the fast-changing tech sector. The bachelor’s degree takes an average of 4 to 5 years, while certifications can be completed in weeks and at a fraction of the cost with independent study.
The fast-moving nature of the certifications reflects the rapid changes in tech needed to update skillsets. If an undergraduate student selects a tech major, there is a chance the information could be outdated by the time they graduate. This doesn’t mean they lack employable skills, but graduates should prepare to be lifetime learners.
This simple change in career readiness for one sector is the resurgence of alternative forms of education. These alternatives will collectively redefine the Bachelor’s degree on a global scale. Welcome to the 21st-century education system.Association of Public Land and Grant Universities. (n.d.) How does a college degree improve graduates’ employment and earnings potential? https://www.aplu.org/our-work/4-policy-and-advocacy/publicuvalues/employment-earnings/#:~:text=Typical%20earnings%20for%20bachelor’s%20degree,million%20more%20over%20their%20lifetime.
