[quote=EconProf]wfb and flu:
Standardized nationwide tests would indeed be worth considering for a lot of fields besides the current CPA and Bar exams. Noted author Charles Murray (wrote the influential book Losing Ground), believes such tests could apply to many fields.
They would also serve as the organizer for the self-taught college grad, or “master of a discipline” or whatever one wants to call this certificate. The resulting test score would be a credential that person could take into the job market–let the employer decide. Of course, existing faculty would see this system as a job threat and call it inferior.
Some people can indeed be self-guided learners and want to short-circuit all the party atmosphere, political correctness, and waste inherent in 4 – 6 years of college classes.[/quote]

Love your idea, and agree with all you’ve said. We focus too much on the college **degree** and not enough on the knowledge/abilities that are needed in the real world.

Not everyone is well-suited for college, and we need to ramp up our vocational/tech programs in jr. high/HS. I think a lot of kids drop out because they are discouraged. They are not intellectuals, but many of them have other gifts. We need to stop denigrating blue-collar workers (many of whom earn far more than the average techie), and encourage people to do whatever it is they do best.