It may be replicable - like David said, what was missing was the exposure. And this level of exposure could be enough to bypass the chicken and egg problem of network effects.
Your stamp of approval, even tentative, might help recruitment marketplaces that focus on expertise instead of credentials, in one form or another. You could even try to crowdsource finding them.
I remember running headlong into a similar requirement at Cornell. I wasn't particularly enjoying my college experience in my second semester of sophomore year, so I figured I could take heavier course loads, finish the requirements a year early, and move on with my life. The adviser informed me that this was not possible. Not only did Cornell have a similar on-campus-semesters requirement to NU, they also required you to meet an arbitrary credits threshold 4 semesters prior to your graduation (i.e., by the end of freshman year if you wanted to graduate a year early). Basically, I couldn't graduate early even if I completed all of the requirements just because I hadn't thought of the idea early enough. I sucked it up and stayed and it all worked out fine for me in the end (other than the extra money and wasted time incurred), but it's pretty obvious to me that "gotcha!" requirements like that weren't written to benefit the students.
So, this seems to demonstrate that, at least in a specific case, an effective relationship network can be used to overcome the problem of higher ed's insistence on enforcing its signaling regime.
Like a penguin popping early out of an egg, I graduated from high school and started college when I was 13, by figuring out the bureaucratic rules to take and pass the CHSPE, the CA high-school proficiency exam.
Went to college for a couple of years in computer electronics, and then went back to high school, for the girls, sports, and activities, of course. Legally, they couldn't keep you out if you were under 18, even if you'd already graduated.
Spent a couple of years volunteering. Thirty more starting and selling businesses and non-profits, for example, an ISP, a 675 student K-8 Charter school, a small security guard company, etc.. Worked another full-time technical or technical management job most of that time, built development and operations organizations from scratch, managed an eCommerce platform for some of the worlds largest fashion brands (Polo.com, Timberland.com, and the like). Currently a VP leading an infrastructure and application team ensuring literally trillions of dollars of weekly transactions continue to flow 24/7.
Never graduated from college. My family moved, I mostly attended while too young to drive myself, never quite worked out to finish, despite my associates level of credits from four different colleges. Got caught up in working in technology and starting my own businesses and family (4 kids, almost all adults now, married 25 years). Earned a few technical certificates over the years, but no degree. I've published four novels and several short stories, though.
Now I'm in my late forties, wondering if it's worth spending the time to finish a degree and get an MBA, amortized over my remaining working time. I've managed tens of millions in budget, worked for and consulted for multiple fortune 50 companies, read tens of thousands of books, but without that piece of paper, I don't meet the minimum HR requirements to submit for most job postings.
As a result, my job path a couple of times has been as a consultant on a temp-to-hire basis, where I can prove my value and then get hired to manage the group I was consulting for. But applying for a more senior management job cold, even in technology, without those pieces of paper? Forget it.
It may be replicable - like David said, what was missing was the exposure. And this level of exposure could be enough to bypass the chicken and egg problem of network effects.
Your stamp of approval, even tentative, might help recruitment marketplaces that focus on expertise instead of credentials, in one form or another. You could even try to crowdsource finding them.
I remember running headlong into a similar requirement at Cornell. I wasn't particularly enjoying my college experience in my second semester of sophomore year, so I figured I could take heavier course loads, finish the requirements a year early, and move on with my life. The adviser informed me that this was not possible. Not only did Cornell have a similar on-campus-semesters requirement to NU, they also required you to meet an arbitrary credits threshold 4 semesters prior to your graduation (i.e., by the end of freshman year if you wanted to graduate a year early). Basically, I couldn't graduate early even if I completed all of the requirements just because I hadn't thought of the idea early enough. I sucked it up and stayed and it all worked out fine for me in the end (other than the extra money and wasted time incurred), but it's pretty obvious to me that "gotcha!" requirements like that weren't written to benefit the students.
So, this seems to demonstrate that, at least in a specific case, an effective relationship network can be used to overcome the problem of higher ed's insistence on enforcing its signaling regime.
Great story, Bryan! I'm wondering: will he get the degree?
Like a penguin popping early out of an egg, I graduated from high school and started college when I was 13, by figuring out the bureaucratic rules to take and pass the CHSPE, the CA high-school proficiency exam.
Went to college for a couple of years in computer electronics, and then went back to high school, for the girls, sports, and activities, of course. Legally, they couldn't keep you out if you were under 18, even if you'd already graduated.
Spent a couple of years volunteering. Thirty more starting and selling businesses and non-profits, for example, an ISP, a 675 student K-8 Charter school, a small security guard company, etc.. Worked another full-time technical or technical management job most of that time, built development and operations organizations from scratch, managed an eCommerce platform for some of the worlds largest fashion brands (Polo.com, Timberland.com, and the like). Currently a VP leading an infrastructure and application team ensuring literally trillions of dollars of weekly transactions continue to flow 24/7.
Never graduated from college. My family moved, I mostly attended while too young to drive myself, never quite worked out to finish, despite my associates level of credits from four different colleges. Got caught up in working in technology and starting my own businesses and family (4 kids, almost all adults now, married 25 years). Earned a few technical certificates over the years, but no degree. I've published four novels and several short stories, though.
Now I'm in my late forties, wondering if it's worth spending the time to finish a degree and get an MBA, amortized over my remaining working time. I've managed tens of millions in budget, worked for and consulted for multiple fortune 50 companies, read tens of thousands of books, but without that piece of paper, I don't meet the minimum HR requirements to submit for most job postings.
As a result, my job path a couple of times has been as a consultant on a temp-to-hire basis, where I can prove my value and then get hired to manage the group I was consulting for. But applying for a more senior management job cold, even in technology, without those pieces of paper? Forget it.
Great story, Bryan! I'm wondering: will he get the degree?
Wonderful turn of events!
This is a case in point for Arnold’s proposal for alt education.