Why a college degree is a good thing — but not the only thing
For far too long, most industries and job markets have adopted an overly simplistic yet outdated model for evaluating talent: a college degree is better, some college is worse, and none is disqualifying – regardless of whether the education actually prepares young people for their chosen field.
Hiring practices have followed this trend, as job requirements mostly prioritize college education or degree-based credentials over real-world experiences or applied skills training. A recent study found that 75% of new jobs demand a bachelor’s degree, while only 40% of the workforce has one. Meanwhile, meaningful, high-paying jobs, like those in the skilled trades, go unfilled.
This favoring of degrees over practical skills has expanded a gap of both talent and fresh perspectives in fields that desperately need them. And universities are not necessarily built on preparing students for the current job market, rendering their degree programs less valuable in connecting people with meaningful work opportunities.
Many American workers are educated, but are they prepared for work?
Unemployment data across college majors shows one field that particularly stands out to us: Fine Arts — our field. Music-program graduates begin their search for employment with a shiny new degree, only to find that the music industry doesn’t inherently require a formal college education for success.
The majority of music majors only find part-time music work, or ultimately choose a career in an unrelated field for a more stable income. The bottom line is: getting a traditional degree in music isn’t always beneficial.
Music students often spend long hours in classrooms and work from a rigid, fixed curriculum, where they learn about music theory and history with greater importance placed on the study and practice of classical and jazz, versus other genres. Meanwhile, they may miss out on the individualized, immersive, and collaborative environment that the music industry is built on, including understanding the industry’s building blocks: distributors, venues, labels, A&Rs, managers, PROs, festivals, brands and influencers.
As is the case for so many fields, music students are often focused on becoming college graduates first and preparing for their careers second. As music industry professionals from New York to Los Angeles can attest, getting your foot in the door doesn’t happen with a wave of your music degree. For most, the valued skills, and needed connections, are developed over years of hands-on experience.
In music and beyond, it’s time to flip the script on the degree-only mentality and instead focus on preparing young people for success in their chosen fields.
For prospective music professionals, we’ve built an industry-tailored way of learning that prioritizes interactive, personalized, in-studio learning. Participants collaborate to create an extensive music portfolio; engage in real-time mentorship — which has previously included icons like Ne-Yo, Diplo, and Benny Blanco — and benefit from networking opportunities to make the connections essential to launching and building careers in the music world.
The initial results are promising. In just three years, alumni have worked with global artists including Roddy Ricch, Lady Gaga, John Legend, and more, with some earning Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations. Their songs have racked up 480 million streams on Spotify.
But what’s most promising is what the “alternative path” can mean for every field. The four-year degree path is an option but it shouldn’t be the only option.
We see this realization playing out at all levels, from those of us on the ground in our industries all the way up to governors — such as Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania — who have eliminated college degrees as requirements for many state jobs. Moves like that set the tone for change, but it’s business owners, company leaders, and hiring managers who will be putting the theory into action. It’s up to all of us to look at preparation and skills over simply a college degree as an indication that someone is ready for a job.
More than 70 million people in the workforce don’t have degrees. That is a lot of untapped potential likely being overlooked by a hiring manager. Some 72% of employers said they didn’t believe degrees were even a reliable signal that a candidate would be successful in a role, according to a study by the group Jobs for the Future. So, the time is now to change the way we prepare for and hire the workforce.
The future of education and work looks like learning and hiring with a preparation first-mindset, one focused on skills, talents, and passions.
We’ve found this path works in the music industry. Which industry will find a new way next?
Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen are co-founders of the Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Production (LAAMP), and as the Grammy-winning music production team Stargate have produced No. 1 hits for Rihanna, Katy Perry and Beyoncé. Colette Weintraub is head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment.
