Is Internet access making university education irrelevant?

The Internet is tipped as one of the greatest innovation in the history of mankind due to the ubiquitous access to information it provides at little or no cost.

Many individuals across the globe are beginning to question the significance of acquiring a degree since the knowledge and information could be easily accessed from the Internet.

According to experts, the digital age comes with access to knowledge at a little cost, which has been heavily monetized by the different educational institutions over the years. Anybody from the face of the earth could access what is being thought in Massachusetts School of Technology, experts said.

This innovation, however, has become a big subject of debate amongst experts – does degree still matter anymore when the information is already available on the web?

According to a reliable report, companies like Google, Apple, IBM and others no longer require applicants to have a college degree for certain positions. Rather they are focusing on candidates who have hands-on experience via an industry-related vocational class.

However, Ndubuisi Ekekwe, a professor and founder of Famiscro told business a.m. that he has a different view. He said he isn’t sure if Google really focuses on hands -on experience and deliverables, rather they would likely take MIT graduates over those of other schools.

“I am sure they do care about degree even though they focus on capabilities. The fact is that the best schools are always positioned to give those capabilities to students.”

He said the innovations of the future are researches of today and the best schools make them happen.

“It is better to pick students exposed to those. I do not believe the big companies do not care about certificates. I know they may not care if your job is packing shoes in boxes but if creating the next big thing, they have few destinations,” said Ekekwe.

According to Darien Brown, an education entrepreneur and founder of TBD, the short answer is that not having a degree is going to close certain doors, “but you’re going to be the one who has to decide whether those doors matter to you.

Brown said the importance of a college degree is pretty much directly proportional to the level of bureaucracy in a hiring organization.

“If you ever desire to work in government or academia, you won’t be able to do it without a degree,” he noted.

On the contrary, Brown said the debt incurred acquiring a degree when compared to the opportunity cost of lost productivity is likely never to pay off financially, adding that this is dependent on the institution and field of study.

“Engineering, for example, or business from a top-tier business school probably will. A Bachelor of Arts in an arts or humanities related subject will almost certainly not.

“In my experience, not having a completed college degree has not kept any important doors closed. I landed the sales and business position I wanted at the last company I worked for and my current startup is funded. (Ironically, it’s an education company.)”

Brown expressed that one of his greatest regrets in life is how much time and money he plowed into a liberal arts college studying history. Adding that going to university is how most people know an individual has accomplished something. “This is an advice with a grain of salt,” Brown said.

He advised that anybody can accomplish things other than the university which has a greater signaling power.

Brown said if anyone requires the signaling power of a degree then such person should get the cheapest and least time-consuming way possible or go to a top school and study something valuable. “Otherwise, it’s very likely that you’re wasting your time and money.”

In response to the question “if degree still matters”, Lawrence Tam, a mechanical engineer who graduated from the University of Texas said “the old-school advice was to tell you to choose any major and you would be set for life. That advice does not apply today.”

However, Tam said even if one decides to acquire a degree then the choice of the school and course remain critical factors that have to be considered due to return on investment.

According to Tam, higher education has a way of making an individual progressive in terms of growth, personally, academically, professionally, and financially.

He said: “The question no longer is, “What should I major in?” but also, “Which college degrees with the best return on investment match my individual interests and talents?”

According to Julie Anne, founder of Jaguar Media Solutions, a university degree is what any individual chooses to make out of it and choose to take away from it.

She said “if you go to college to just party, well, you are going to wake up one day in your mid-30s and realize that college was just one big, expensive party.

Anne said advised that one shouldn’t feel limited by acquiring a university education. Just because you earned a degree in one area doesn’t mean you can’t be successful in another nor does it mean having to give up doing what you love. Part of what makes people successful is the mindset, not their degrees, said Anne.