> In the future, this will not be the case. So many capable people will eschew a traditional college education that alternative signaling methods will arise.
As long as 99% of employers depend on the traditional signaling methods, very few capable people will eschew a traditional college education. Only in certain segments of software engineering does the idea even have any traction.
> For instance, Y Combinator is a more powerful signal than Stanford is. (Stanford graduates don't automatically receive $150k in convertible debt for their endeavors once they graduate.)
Not really, outside a very specific niche of people doing a very specific type of startup work. If you want to build a web app, yeah, Y Combinator is a valuable signal. If you want to work for Lockheed-Martin or Goldman Sachs, not so much. As for $150k in convertible debt... you can earn that much in bonuses working on Wall Street for a couple of years, with far less risk and far more predictability.
As long as 99% of employers depend on the traditional signaling methods, very few capable people will eschew a traditional college education. Only in certain segments of software engineering does the idea even have any traction.
> For instance, Y Combinator is a more powerful signal than Stanford is. (Stanford graduates don't automatically receive $150k in convertible debt for their endeavors once they graduate.)
Not really, outside a very specific niche of people doing a very specific type of startup work. If you want to build a web app, yeah, Y Combinator is a valuable signal. If you want to work for Lockheed-Martin or Goldman Sachs, not so much. As for $150k in convertible debt... you can earn that much in bonuses working on Wall Street for a couple of years, with far less risk and far more predictability.