The End of the Degree: Why AI Gives Me More Hope for the West Than for Confucian Societies
In a world where skills beat status, the West may be better prepared for the AI age than cultures still clinging to credentialism
“In the age of AI, we are witnessing not just technological disruption, but a civilisational realignment.”
I never thought I’d say this. But these days, I find myself more hopeful for the futures of countries like the United States and New Zealand than for those of China or Singapore — not because of economic trends or geopolitical alliances, but because of something deeper, almost philosophical.
It comes down to how societies value education — not as a means of learning, but as a badge of worth.
The Realignment Has Begun — And College Is Losing
We are living through the early stages of a great societal realignment. The rise of generative AI has collapsed the monopoly that universities once held over knowledge. You no longer need to attend lectures to learn code, master statistics, or write competent prose. You just need a laptop, curiosity, and the right prompt.
In fact, this WSJ video explores how employers are already rethinking degree requirements in a world where AI can do much of the cognitive heavy lifting. Many forward-thinking individuals are opting out of the university path entirely. Instead of degrees, they’re building portfolios. Trade schools, apprenticeships, bootcamps, and self-study are back in vogue.
It’s a return to a more grounded, skill-based model of value — and not all societies are prepared for that shift.
Western Flexibility vs Confucian Rigidity
In the West — especially in the U.S., and to some extent New Zealand — there’s always been space for the self-made. Sure, prestige still matters, but people like David Karp (Tumblr), who dropped out at 15 and later sold his company for hundreds of millions, are not seen as freak anomalies. They're proof that hustle and skill can still trump formal education.
Contrast this with Confucian-influenced societies. In China, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, academic excellence is almost a moral imperative. Degrees are status, and failure in exams is treated as a kind of shame. The Gaokao — China’s brutal university entrance exam — still dictates the life trajectory of millions of teens each year. As this article reports, it has only gotten more intense in the face of growing youth joblessness.
Singapore’s version of this can be seen in its multi-tiered streaming system and the deeply entrenched tuition industry, where exam prep can cost families thousands each year just to stay competitive.
This rigidity — the worship of academic credentialism — is now becoming a liability.
AI Doesn’t Care Where You Went to School
AI has done more than change how we work — it’s changing who gets to work.
Tools like ChatGPT and open-source models mean that a teen in Invercargill or Des Moines can build the same software as someone from MIT — and maybe faster. What matters is no longer where you learned it, but whether you can do it.
Companies have taken note. According to Business Insider, top firms like Google, Apple, and IBM have scrapped degree requirements for many roles, shifting toward skills-first hiring. Even government agencies like the U.S. Office of Personnel Management have relaxed requirements for a four-year degree in certain positions.
This skills-over-diploma shift will benefit societies that place intrinsic value on adaptability and initiative — and punish those that equate status with schooling.
A Tale of Two Youths
Take youth outlooks as a proxy.
In New Zealand, trades-related degrees are gaining momentum as a direct path into stable employment. With strong job prospects in areas like construction, engineering, and healthcare, many young people are increasingly opting for vocational education over traditional university study. Rather than accumulating student debt, they are choosing qualifications that lead straight into high-demand jobs.
Meanwhile in China, youth unemployment hit a record 21.3% in June 2023 before officials stopped releasing the data entirely. Why? Because tens of millions of college graduates were unable to find work, and many ended up "lying flat" — a protest movement where young people opt out of the rat race entirely.
Singapore’s youth may fare better economically, but mental health data tells another story. According to the Straits Times, one in three young Singaporeans reports being emotionally distressed, with performance anxiety and pressure to succeed as key contributors.
If you feel like your entire identity is pinned to your grades and you still end up jobless or anxious — then what was it all for?
Why I Still Believe in the West
This isn’t a triumphalist tale. The West has problems — deep ones. But it also has something many Confucian systems lack: the cultural infrastructure for reinvention.
If you fail in America or New Zealand, you’re not done. You might pivot, start a business, learn a trade, become a contractor, join a startup, or move into a new field. There is social room to breathe.
In the AI age, that might be the only thing that matters.
That’s why I believe the next generation of builders — in tech, in trade, in design — will come not from the top universities of Beijing or Singapore, but from garages in Auckland, basements in Austin, and side streets in Manchester. They’ll be kids who weren’t afraid to tinker, because no one told them their future depended on a single test score.
Because in this new world, being smart matters less than being unafraid.