and it could be argued that much of University study *is* a

and it could be argued that much of University study *is* a
trade school. If you get an education in law school, your trade
is lawyer. If you get an education in medicine, your trade is
doctor. If you get an education in biology, your trade is
biologist. If you get an education in more esoteric subjects,
your trade is professor or consultant. The financial barrier
to education is another problem that's related.
Yes, there are programs. I was in one. Wasn't enough to get me
through college. I did a year and a half and couldn't afford any
more. Took classes here and there since, but I don't even have
an associate's degree.

So, I am on the "blue collar class" side of things. It's the
class I was born into. Getting out of it? Not so easy.

Also, the opportunities to self-teach abound with the Internet.
At once time, much knowledge was locked away in Universities.
Now it's not. I believe education should be a basic right to
all citizens. We have that to some degree. When my mother was
growing up, they only required students to get to the 8th grade.
If you notice, you learned most of what you NEEDED to know in
adult life by the end of 8th grade. That's no accident. It's
historically embedded in the curriculum.

Then it was high school.

Then it was college (BA)

Now as more of the population is educated without a
corresponding increase in jobs availability, PhDs are becoming
easier to achieve and more common.

What does PhD get you? Usually author. Talk show consultant.