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As the face of work changes, the face of academic and educational skill enhancement must also change. We must recognize that in many fields, experience trumps degree and academic degrees are not the only way to enhance skills or be effective in the job market (Goldberg, 2023). Recently there has been an upswing in the use of digital badges to represent skills obtained in training or education (Feder, 2021). These badges show specific, quantifiable skills that are obtained at each stage of a person’s professional development. In addition, these new learned skills can be used immediately and not kept under wraps for the length of time it takes for degree completion. This also means that individuals can use these badges to show skills learned now, they can market these skills now. 

The biggest proponent of using skills badges is to allow for immediate use, upskilling for employees already in the workforce, or verification of skills for those needing to work immediately (Feder, 2021). However, this does challenge the idea of an academic degree and the need to have one over the need to have marketable skills (Goldberg, 2023). On one hand, there are many jobs that require a degree for the job, but on the other hand, there are many that do not. This does not devalue the worth of an academic degree, but it allows for choice. 

Degree versus vocation

The amount and type of education needed for a career position is often predicated by legal standards or by the standards set by the organization. For example, any medical doctor will need a medical degree for licensing, which is legally required. If you want to go into that field, you will need that degree. However, if we look at vocations as careers, there are many that are well-paying positions that simply require vocational skills and training. Vocational training often does not last as long and is geared to individuals who need to work quickly in the field. According to Yan (2025) “Vocational education equips students with practical skills and professional knowledge, facilitating employment and improving long-term job stability” (p. 1161). 

In addition, we know that degree obtainment takes a significant amount of time, effort and patience. The decision as to what a person takes is up to what kind of work they want to do, where they want to work, and how they want to work. However, there are also some careers where you can start working with certain obtainable skills (Goldberg, 2023). The issue has always been how to obtain these skills and how to verify them for potential employers. 

Skill enhancement

In the last 20 years we have seen a rise in skills enhancement strategies to allow for verification of skills learned for use in the workspace without waiting for the completion of a degree (Goldberg, 2023). Many degree-granting institutions, such as the ������ý, started using digital badges for students to verify the upskilling they received through the course of their degree program (Feder, 2021). Each class might afford them new badges that could immediately be used, which cuts down on the amount of time that a student can enter the workspace. 

In addition, courses such as MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) were designed to open access to education for upskilling and for non-traditional students around the world. The reach of MOOC’s far outspans the reach of many degree programs as many people cannot afford a full degree, but may be able to afford a course (Gleason et al., 2021). However, some people may find that taking a course with hundreds of people from around the world might lack the individual attention they may be seeking. In addition, the courses can be limited to specific fields and thus may not provide courses for everyone or every field. MOOC’s were not meant to be a catch all for everything, but they provide an avenue, a means for those needing that as a choice over a degree. However, it is interesting to note that many MOOC’s are connected to degree-granting institutions and some even provide degrees.

Conclusion

If we consider that people are looking for innovative ways to enhance professional growth quickly, we must then acknowledge the value of choice. Each person must decide what suits them and how their education will have an impact on their work. The old idea of waiting to work until your degree is completed no longer fits in our current world. The world moves fast, so we need to work faster to ensure we are on the cutting edge of training and education. We know that work and education are linked, and we know that one influences the other. Work is flexible, dynamic, and shaped by the world; we should also be shaped by this. Whether it’s a degree, vocational training, digital badges, or a MOOC, the trick is to be open to all avenues and find what works.  

References

Feder, M. (2021). What are digital badges? /blog/what-are-digital-badges.html

Gleason, K. T., Commodore-Mensah, Y., Wu, A. W., Kearns, R., Pronovost, P., Aboumatar, H., Dennison Himmelfarb, C. R. (2021). Massive open online course (MOOC) learning builds capacity and improves competence for patient safety among global learners: A prospective cohort study. Nurse Education Today, 104,104984.

Goldberg, E. (2023). Breaking the Paper Ceiling: Skills and Credentials, Not Degrees, Are the  Future of Hiring.

Yan, C. (2025). Long-Duration Vocational Education's Effects on Individuals' Vocational Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Job Satisfaction. Behavioral Sciences, 15(9), 1161-1177.