[timwiseman]

You are quite correct, BUT at least for the forseeable future a university is the most efficient way to get those things, and especially to get all 3 at once.

I could for instance create a facebook page and start gathering a group of other people interested in math to ask questions. But it would take time to find that was worth the time to actually talk and listen to and then of those the ones that were actually interested in my specific topic. With a class, those are ready made. You rarely find foolish people in upper division math classes at all so I know everyone there is (most likely) worth my time to deal with and we have the class in common so we are all looking at the same broad field at least.

Similarly, we could create certifications for math skills similar to certain technologies, but it would take a long time (if ever) before employers and HR departments in particular gave those the same weight as a normal degree.

Universities are certainly not the only choice, but for the meantime they are the best choice for someone who wants that combination of a ready made, (partially) vetted community of peers along with later certification of the skills gained.

[netsp]

I still think you're reading me backwards. I'm not recommending not going to University.

Say I thought that blogging could be easier 5 years ago. It would not be easier to build an easier blogging engine. It would be easier to just use whatever existed. But it would have been correct to identify that easier blogging is possible, a market exists & someone would cater to it at some point.

I think that University education (and possibly also the other features of Universities) could be available for easier/cheaper/different. I also think there is a market for this. I think that eventually Universities may not have the same prominence they do now.

[timwiseman]

Ah, I did partially misunderstand. I agree that the potential exists for universities to eventually be partially replaced by some other system, and I also think that right now we as a society undervalue vocational training.

With that said, I do not know what that partial replacement will be and I do not think (though I certainly could be wrong) that it will come anytime in the near future.

[netsp]

I think that there may be floodgates open if the right keys go in the right locks.

One problematic issue is accreditation/validation. Part of the reason vocational training is so different is because of this. This could work for a wide range of areas from programming or accounting to medicine & carpentry.

Other changes such as a move towards more self employment might also trigger something.