The importance of earning a four-year college degree seems to have grasped society for decades. The societal norm of going to a four-year college has become the standard for wealth, intelligence and, as some may argue, happiness. But is this idea of conforming to the decades of additional four-year education becoming outdated?

While the traditional requirements for career opportunities specifically highlight the need for a bachelor’s degree, the continuation of universities is coming into question. With millennials’ pockets drained by student debt, many students are finding that the after-college expectations derived from society are becoming more and more difficult to meet: bringing the idea of trade schools to the forefront of discussion.

“I don’t think that, in order to have a well-paying job, you need to attend a four-year college,” said sophomore, Finn Raney. “Trade schools, however, help you build the skills that you need [in a shorter amount of time] in order to live in society and have a comfortable life.”

It’s no secret that the employment field is drastically more divergent when compared to previous decades. Nowadays, the workplace is demanding more specialized experts than well-rounded applicants. Unless the end goal is a career that falls between medicine or law, is a four-year degree really encouraging societal growth?

With business and marketing degrees holding less meaning than they did 10 years ago, learning a specific trade is becoming the epitome of applicant material. With technology growing evermore prevalent in society, many jobs satisfied by traditional degree programs run the risk of job security. Learning a trade bypasses the uncertainty of a future job being outsourced and promotes a more stable career path that satisfies the growing domestic demand for trade professionals.

While there is still a demand for four-year college degrees, a one-size-fits-all approach to college education is not what society needs. Employers are now placing greater weight on emphasizing the real-world skills of job applicants rather than simply their educational achievements. The way students learn and the structure of the workplace are both dramatically different when compared to a decade ago. If the operations and teachings of society are changing, who says college can’t follow suit?