We say we value education.

But do we really… or do we just value the credential?
And even then… only certain credentials… from certain places.
Earned at the “right” time… by the “right” people.

Somewhere along the way, we confused signaling with substance.

Advanced degrees… brand-name institutions… fancy acronyms.
We treat them like tickets to a better life.
But the real world doesn’t always care where you went to school.
It cares whether you can do the job… and whether you can do it in a way that only you can.

Still, the system hasn’t caught up.

Job postings filter by degree.
Hiring managers default to the familiar.
And 40 million Americans with some college and no degree?
They’re treated as unfinished… not as experienced… not as capable.
Just… stuck.

(FWIW: I never graduated college.)

Only 38% of U.S. adults hold a four-year degree.
Still nearly every professional pathway, policy and perception treats that number as the default.
It’s not… and we need to stop pretending it is.

Here’s a thought:

What if becoming a licensed electrician or certified medical technician carried the same weight and status as earning an MBA?

What if we redefined the term “advanced degree” to include the trades?
What if we saw the rigorous, structured path to becoming a welder, plumber, or HVAC technician as equally difficult, time-consuming and socially necessary as becoming a surgeon?

Don’t roll your eyes… really think about it.

The pathway to mastering a trade requires real learning.
Not just technical skill, but communication, leadership, adaptability and creative problem-solving.

And here’s the kicker: while we’ve been busy debating “college or not,” AI has quietly entered the chat.

The entry-level jobs that once “justified” a degree?
Many are vanishing… replaced by machines that can write, analyze, summarize, and synthesize at near-zero marginal cost.

So now what?

Do we keep steering people into debt for a credential that may no longer open doors?
Do we keep telling a story about success that only fits a shrinking percentage of the population?

Do we start rewriting the narrative?

It’s time to break out of the binary.
It’s not “college or nothing.”
It’s not “academia vs. trades.”

It’s about expanding how we define intelligence, how we measure potential and how we reward all forms of work.

Let’s stop confusing where you learned with what you’ve learned.
Let’s stop rewarding pedigree over performance.
Let’s start designing a system that reflects this economy, this moment… these people.
Because if we’re willing to pay six figures for a diploma…
Why aren’t we willing to respect (and reward) the people who build, fix, heal and sustain the world around us?

Maybe… just maybe… it’s time we saw all learning as advanced… because all real work is.

A rant inspired by this week’s Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast with Kathleen deLaski (author of Who Needs College Anymore?).

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.