Classical music is a somewhat silly zero-sum game and we should be cautious about using it as an analogy. The supply of classical musicians outstrips demand by

Classical music is a somewhat silly zero-sum game and we should be cautious about using it as an analogy. The supply of classical musicians outstrips demand by several orders of magnitude, hence the requirement for exceptional levels of virtuosity - if you're not the best, you're unemployable. That is absolutely not the case for most professions. Austen Allred has shown that you can turn willing adults into employable software developers in a matter of months. It is entirely plausible that if we abandon credentialism, many other professions could be taught in accelerated bootcamps at a fraction of the cost of a college degree.