[batista]

There are two candidates: one from the local state school with an appropriate college degree, a second with relevant MITx certificates of completion. Let’s say all other things between the candidates are equal. Which should be chosen? It’s true that an online education is not the same as the college experience. The candidate who went to college probably enjoyed his experience more, but how much is that experience worth to a potential employer? Unless he’s a member of the same fraternity, probably not as much as the college candidate would hope. And here’s the reality: the student debt of the college candidate controls, to some extent, his salary requirements. Since the MITx candidate appears to have the knowledge required, and has no student debt, he probably can be hired cheaper.

Actually it's the inverse. The student debt accumulated will make the college graduate more desperate to accept any wage offer, and more fearful of keeping the job once there.

People hiring love this kind of dependance.

[JumpCrisscross]

The debt burden makes the college graduate more desperate to work, but not for any wage. There is a hard line below which the student is unable to make payments and a softer line above that allowing for various qualities of life. The key in the analysis is if the non-grad can under-price the college grad near (or even below) that hard line for long enough to get entry level experience and thus be treated as another experienced hire.

There is also something to be said for a self-starter who drives himself through an online programme and comes out with a working understanding of a topic.

[arethuza]

If you have two candidates who appear to have the same skill levels and only one of them has had the distinct advantage of being to a top university and then it's surely the one with the more modest education who is likely to be most talented?