A widely circulated analysis argues that AI’s rapid automation of skills requires erasing the ‘learn-work-retire’ script and replacing it with integrated, lifelong learning models that merge education and employment. Businesses increasingly treat hiring as an extension of training while calling for continuous credentialing and modular pathways. The piece highlights corporate experiments that embed upskilling into job entry and progression and urges higher education to redesign credentials, assessment, and delivery for rapid re-skilling. It also warns that traditional degree programs and static curricula risk obsolescence if they don’t adapt to competency-based, employer-aligned micro-credentials. For universities, the immediate implications include rethinking credit transfer, industry partnerships, stackable credentials, and assessment policy. Tight alignment with employers may increase placement and relevance but will press institutions to balance academic standards, faculty governance, and revenue models.