Hyperconnected World
When I say that "everyone has to pass the bar now," I mean
that, as the world got hyperconnected, all these things
happened at once: Jobs started changing much faster, requiring
more skill with each iteration. Schools could not keep up with
the competencies needed for these jobs, so employers got
frustrated because, in a hyperconnected world, they did not
have the time or money to spend on extensive training. So more
employers are demanding that students prove their competencies
for a specific job by obtaining not only college degrees but by
passing certification exams that measure specific skills the
way lawyers have to pass the bar. Last week, The Economist
quoted one labor expert, Peter Cappelli of the Wharton business
school, as saying that companies now regard filling a job as
being like buying a spare part: you expect it to fit
from Thomas
Friedman-NYT
Also from Friedman
When outstanding becomes so easily available, average is over