The higher education system doesn’t exist in a vacuum and isn’t immune to technology driven disruption that’s impacting the greater economy. So, arguing for greater public funding to prop up an increasingly irrelevant education enterprise doesn’t make sense to me.

Better to eliminate the concept of “higher” education entirely. It inherently creates a social division that has inadvertently helped to polarize society to the extent that we are looking down the barrel of a new civil war.

A new education paradigm that is agile enough to effectively assist individuals move quickly through careers requiring several major shifts in skill sets is needed. One that for example, equally values a plumber’s apprenticeship with any other form of education. The plumber that’s a product of such a system may be drawn to subsequently study the use of artificial intelligence in the design of integrated 3D printed plumbing systems to support the development of lower construction costs. Conversely, a credentialed, licensed, radiologist whose job is replaced by AI might be drawn to studying fine detail preservation of antique furniture.

The educational paradigm must be as fluid as possible to be effective in a world where careers are measured in years rather than lifetimes. The higher education system of today isn’t.