If anything, I think it's the opposite: there are too many ideas about what a university is for. It's a shame we've lost a lot of the alternative educational "

If anything, I think it's the opposite: there are too many ideas about what a university is for. It's a shame we've lost a lot of the alternative educational "systems" that existed alongside higher-ed. Things like journalism was learned in journalism schools, not universities. Trade schools used to be common place and target far more industries. No one used to get a degree in "business". The university/high-ed, unfortunately, has a monopoly on cultural cachet. Certain schools now function as the main gatekeepers into whole industries. Corporations have handed over the entire idea of employee training to universities, while demanding frequently arbitrary degree requirements when hiring, allowing particular universities to exert enormous power over someone's life and future prospects. They also have to be finishing schools and boarding schools for young adults hoping to get the "college experience".