The “worst case scenario” from Jim Groom’s post doesn’t fit the country’s needs, so how could it be the future? I think the current backlog of college grads who are un- or under-employed may fend off progress in getting shorter degrees than bachelor’s recognized. On the other hand, higher competition for jobs only helps initiatives that try to emphasize other factors, like real skills knowledge in the hiring process. This lends people with the most successful learning outcomes an advantage.

As I mentioned, I do worry that focusing on how education could be cheaper might make people lose sight of how it could be better. But that doesn’t mean cost containment isn’t along the only path to the survival of the modern university, especially the public ones. The economic situation is mostly outside the universities’ control (except maybe Larry Summers era Harvard derivatives trading), and providing a good education for less is very important.

I’m in the process of DIYing a post-graduate education for a while myself, and finding the path forward is a challenge, so thanks for your contribution.