Now, prominent companies such as Google and Apple are hiring employees who have the skills required to get jobs done, with or without a degree. Glassdoor found firms like Google, Apple, and IBM don’t require a college degree to land a job. Google recently launched a new selection of courses for Google Career Certificate, a six-month program that prepare participants for in-demand jobs. 

That being said, college degrees seem to pay off. Workers that hold at least a bachelor’s degree earned $502 more in median weekly earnings than those with just a high school education, according to a May 2020 report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the unemployment rate among those with less than a high school degree is more than double that of bachelors degree holders.

But because degrees often require taking on student debt, many Americans cannot afford college degrees. Only 42% of high-school sophomores go on to earn a two-year or four-year degree, per the US Department of Education. Even among students who graduate from college, a significant number of new graduates are underemployed, meaning they work jobs that don’t require a college degree.

As many expect automation to displace a quarter of the workforce, experts and researchers are already tossing around alternatives to help prepare young employees for work. Apprenticeship programs, which mix school and on-the-job training, could better prepare the workforce of the future, Business Insider reporter Rich Feloni reported.

“I don’t consider going to college evidence of exceptional ability,” Musk said at the Satellite conference. “Did Shakespeare even go to college? Probably not.”