College-for-all accomplishes two things: commoditization and (failed) attempts at one-size-fits-all education. Simply put, not everybody is equipped to handle

College-for-all accomplishes two things: commoditization and (failed) attempts at one-size-fits-all education. Simply put, not everybody is equipped to handle an academic education (in fact, a small minority truly are). At the same time, the vast majority of work being done today in the US in almost any field (including the majority of software development) really ought not be considered "academic" work--it's essentially vocational already. One doesn't need--and shouldn't be required to have--a college degree to be employable in a web app shop or for most development (or other) roles. The following may be an unpopular sentiment, but I truly believe that the focus on "college-for-all" just frustrates people who are talented in ways that are not academically inclined and, frankly, consumes resources unfairly for those who are. All parties are worse off for it. What we need is less focus on conflating "academic education" with "education", and the result of that is less focus on "college-for-all."