Can you get "the things a degree promises" outside of college?

At their best, most colleges and universities may offer students knowledge, but only in the real world can they get experience. A lot of recent grads have trouble getting a job because they don't have any experience, and they don't have experience because they haven't had a job; they're trapped in a vicious cycle. By following a more self-directed ("hackademic") path to your own education, you can seek internships, apprenticeships, and other work experiences while your peers are cramming for tests and procrastinating on Facebook. By the time your peers graduate from college and enter the job market with their Knowledge, you'll be competing with them using your Experience.

Let's face it, your major and GPA are still the first things a lot of HR departments are going to look for on your résumé when deciding whether to throw it in the trash or give it a closer read.



Advocates for alternative forms of education are going to have a hard time overcoming inertia in this area. What incentive does your average hiring manager have to take a chance on you, without your "piece of paper"? If they hire you and things work out, they don't get a bonus or even an extra pat on the back; but if you turn out to be a dud, they're going to look bad and they know it.

 

Absolutely. The degree provides two main things: knowledge + network. For example, with a free internet connection from Starbuck's and my cheap iPad2, I can learn everything there is to know about investing, personal finance, etc. by reading investopedia.com  Through hard work and persistence, I can build a good network of accomplished people that can help me build my career.  A college degree could provide these two things more efficiently, but at the end of the day, everything I can learn or obtain in a college campus can be obtained outside of it.