Elon Musk shows scepticism towards traditional education

Billionaire Elon Musk does not support traditional higher education as he advocates for labour professions like electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc.

The billionaire holds a degree in physics and economics yet stresses that a four-year university degree is not a guarantee for success.

Musk posted a video on X from a Donald Trump support rally in Philadelphia, where he said: “College is overrated. It adds to your debts and is not very obligatory for learning.” 

Highlighting that knowledge is now freely available, Musk further said that “we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters, and that’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors”. 

He emphasised the hands-on professions, showing them the utmost respect and encouragement.

Musk has also shown his incredulity towards traditional education. In 2019, he tweeted that a college degree is not a requirement to work at his automotive and energy company Tesla.

Due to him, the topic gained much attention, and a debate ignited on the relevancy of college education in today’s era.

One of the users wrote, “College degrees have their place, but college isn’t for everyone. The whole system has been watered down and has made it high school 2.0 for a lot of people.”

A second user said, “Nothing wrong with a four-year degree, but it shouldn’t cost so much. Quality, inexpensive, online degrees are the way to go, combined with internships to get hands-on experience.”