Younger workers are increasingly choosing vocational tracks and apprenticeships over traditional four-year degrees while elite campus pathways continue to fuel high-profile entrepreneurial exits. A 23-year-old electrician who skipped college and launched a six-figure contracting business exemplifies the blue-collar shift, even as Stanford-educated founders continue to build nine-figure companies. Those parallel dynamics are reshaping enrollment, career services and alumni engagement: institutions must sharpen value propositions for vocational training, apprenticeship partnerships, and entrepreneurship pipelines to retain diverse talent flows.