Still sucks for workers though. College is about acquisition of general human capital which, in theory, can be used in a variety of jobs. Thus the higher wages

Still sucks for workers though. College is about acquisition of general human capital which, in theory, can be used in a variety of jobs. Thus the higher wages commanded by college graduates: they can go elsewhere. A certificate, on the other hand, provides only a very limited skill set, effectively reducing the options for the employee and thus lowering the expected wage. For many people the certificate might be worthwhile, of course. There have always been people willing to take jobs that were inherently risky (working for the only factory in a small town, for example). So my point is that even if alternatives become more popular, they probably won't provide what a college education typically provided in the sense that the balance of power will be shifted away from the employee and toward the employer.