Forbes: Americans Value a Google Internship over a Harvard Degree

A recent survey published by Forbes revealed that Americans now think an internship at Google is more valuable than a Harvard degree.

According to Forbes, a majority of Americans now believe that a Google internship is more valuable than a degree from Harvard University. The survey, which was conducted by QuestResearch Group, polled 2,000 American adults in December.

A shocking 60 percent of respondents said that they thought an internship at Google was more valuable than a degree from Harvard University.

Forbes contributor Brandon Busteed said that the survey results are an indictment of the American education system. Busteed argues that Americans now value work experience over four-year-degrees.

“In short, Americans are seeing more value in work experience and on-the-job training and less value in traditional higher education. They have good reasons behind these views. And on top of it all, there is ample evidence that the future of work and careers will require a constant process of life-long education and training in various forms – putting even more pressure on the traditional four-year degree model,” Busteed wrote.

The rising costs of a degree and the bleak job prospects for many graduates have shifted the American perspective on college. The changing tides in the American attitude towards higher education may force universities to reform.

“There are two ways higher education can react to the rapidly declining views of the importance of college. One is to ignore it, hoping it’s just a public opinion cycle that will swing back,” Busteed added. “The other is to view it as a mandate and opportunity for change to become even more relevant than ever before to a wider group of students. Despite higher education’s historic reluctance to change, the first option of staying the course is by far the more risky one.”