We have seen a transformation in the higher education space for sometime, but the next few years will completely change how we perceive higher education.
In the past individuals had very few choices in going to a college and graduation with a bachelor’s degree. That path typically was either direct into a 4-year college or through a couple of years of junior college and transfer in. In both scenarios an individual had to be able to afford paying for the college through either student loans, working through college, or family support.
The introduction of online colleges helped individuals seeking a degree that still needed to work full-time to be able to support themselves and potentially their families. However, there were was misrepresentation a few years back with some of the online colleges that created an unfair negative perception of the value and industry. Luckily, majority of the bad actors are gone or significantly penalized allowing for the re-birth of the online education system.
Over the next few years we will the change of individuals being able to go straight from high school to an online college and ability to work in the field of interest. I call this the new apprenticeship model allowing individuals to be able to truly experience the working environment in the field they are studying prior to graduating. This will allow for career adjustments prior to committing many years of corporate work and the very difficult path to change once you are in a particular business or field.
In addition online trade schools will grow and help transform individuals that have not gotten a college degree, but are seeking a rewarding occupation.