Coffee with Linda: Does getting a university degree worth it Part 2

Hey everyone! Last week, I posted a blog asking if you all thought having a degree was still highly valued when getting hired nowadays—and man, did you all have some strong opinions on that one!

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/monse/blog/coffee-with-linda

In the midst of that discussion, I received a follow-up question asking how the career expo I attended actually went. Was it all about the credentials, or was it about the handshake?

So, here it goes. . . . .

It was wild to see how much the landscape has shifted just since the last time I looked at these programs. The big takeaway from the expo? They are now offering an Associates in Medicine right there in high school!

It’s a brand-new program they’ve added to the roster. They used to only have the usual "Interdisciplinary Studies Field of Study - Associate of Arts" and the standard STEM track—which, don’t get me wrong, is still great for the future AI geniuses among us . But seeing a specialized medical path for teenagers? That’s a total game-changer. in my area. I also think that the medicine field is not that easy to be taken by AI.

The New High School Hierarchy

They really highlighted how schools are trying to bridge the gap between "classroom learning" and "career ready" before these kids even turn 18. Here’s a quick breakdown of the paths I saw:

• The Classic (Interdisciplinary Studies): Great for the "I'm still figuring it out" crowd. It covers the basics and gets those core credits out of the way.
• The Tech Titan (STEM): This is where the heavy hitters in coding and engineering are living. It’s basically a factory for the next generation of tech innovators.
• The Newcomer (Associates in Medicine): This blew my mind. Students are graduating with enough clinical knowledge and foundational science to jump-start a healthcare career years ahead of schedule.

It makes you wonder: if you can walk across the graduation stage with a high school diploma in one hand and a medical associate's degree in the other, does that change the "is a degree valued" debate we were having last week? It certainly feels like the "hiring value" is shifting toward these hyper-specialized tracks. I just think its too overwhelming for students. What do you think?

I noticed that the Certificate-Based Programs are almost purely about the "how-to." Students are graduating with specific credentials—and they have the muscle memory to back it up. They aren't just reading about a career; they are doing it. So I'm debating among two programs.

So yes, I think attending university is worth it, but not if the person doesn’t have vision for their future- a plan, a target point. If the student isn’t on top of things, it can go south. Most students attend college without even knowing what they want to do.

Research, get to know yourself better, disc your abilities, skills etc I have discovered some here at With A. I never imagined id be into SEO 👍

This was a nice chat🥰 Good coffee ☕️