What is a more important-degree or skill?

In previous times, employers and lawmakers in the field of education made having specific degrees to be the gateway to the interview for specific jobs. They placed a degree over skill. If anyone doesn’t hold the sheepskin you will not be allowed to enter the door.

But times have changed and hopefully will continue changing in the future. The rapid transformation in technology requires up to date knowledge. Things you learn in college are hardly used in practical knowledge.

It is only your soft skills or creative thinking which do not go outdated and remain in requirement.

We all have read about Jack Ma founder of e-commerce Alibaba, he was an English professor but we do know now his name is enlisted in the world of a techie. 

Another example is YouTube’s current CEO Susan Wojcicki she studied History and literature, but she later found her interest in technology.

And how can we forget Steve jobs, he studied calligraphy course at Reed College and dropped out later. In one of the speeches he mentions, if I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would never have multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.

So what do we need to learn is skills matter and it is the cherry on the top if you have a degree in the same course. But even if you realize later that you have developed an interest new field you can pursue it.

In a country like India, even degrees sometimes won’t let you land the job you desire.

And unfortunately, if you land up doing those degrees you have the option to learn a new skill.

We need to reshape how people learn and acquire skill in this century, we need programs outside the traditional university and community colleges that allow us to gain these skills at fraction of cost and a fraction of time. These new learning avenues need to be accessible throughout our lives and they need to be easily adapted to the changing needs of employers.

Also read, Perfectionism & Creativity

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