The Wall Street Journal wants to keep you stupid by undermining higher education in the name of certifications for the masses and professional degrees (i.e. NO arts degrees) for the elite.
The problem with the B.A. and B.S. degrees we have today is not that the degrees are meaningless, it's that the dominant business culture doesn't value them. Any education that does not serve purely instrumental purposes is not seen as worthwhile. Let's not forget that the boom in higher education only got started during the Cold War when the powers that be decided we needed more scientists for the design of advanced weaponry like H-bombs and the like. The enthusiasm only cooled when they realized that science education also gives you unpleasant truths like evolution and global warming.
The author of the article also seems to be unaware that companies like Microsoft do have certification programs which is big business for them, but only creates an arms race between job seekers as more and higher certifications are needed to differentiate the talented from those who went to boot camp classes and took the test.
Professional trades also already have certifications, but that means that these people are also more expensive to hire which increases the incentive to hire non-certified unskilled labor instead.
So following the Journal's advice what you'll end up with is the same Ivy Leaguers in charge of everything and certifications for the rest of us poor stupid preterite losers.
The problem with the B.A. and B.S. degrees we have today is not that the degrees are meaningless, it's that the dominant business culture doesn't value them. Any education that does not serve purely instrumental purposes is not seen as worthwhile. Let's not forget that the boom in higher education only got started during the Cold War when the powers that be decided we needed more scientists for the design of advanced weaponry like H-bombs and the like. The enthusiasm only cooled when they realized that science education also gives you unpleasant truths like evolution and global warming.
The author of the article also seems to be unaware that companies like Microsoft do have certification programs which is big business for them, but only creates an arms race between job seekers as more and higher certifications are needed to differentiate the talented from those who went to boot camp classes and took the test.
Professional trades also already have certifications, but that means that these people are also more expensive to hire which increases the incentive to hire non-certified unskilled labor instead.
So following the Journal's advice what you'll end up with is the same Ivy Leaguers in charge of everything and certifications for the rest of us poor stupid preterite losers.