Why I've never been a fan of IT degrees

I've made this point a lot of times before, but I suppose it's time to commit it to writing. I don't think there is a ton of value in an IT degree. Why not, you may ask. I'm glad you asked. The real reason is that I've worked with people who have them. I haven't seen a lot of benefit. Seriously, who cares
that you learned Pascal in 1994, what can you do today? In fact, did you ever get a chance to use that Pascal programming?

Here's the thing - let's assume your college textbooks are pretty fresh. Let's say that the technology and concepts covered are only two years old when the book hits your desk. That means somebody wrote the book, edited, published, printed, and incorporated into your college course. 2 years feels like it could be optimistic, but we'll go with it.

Now let's assume that your talking about a course that you took in your 2nd year of a 4 year degree. Before you even try to find your first job, those skills are at least 5 years stale. In IT, that's forever. IT just moves too fast for that kind of traditional education to be effective.

I believe this is part of the reason new technology graduates have trouble getting their first job. Companies want tech people with hands-on experience rather than a stale education.

So, what's the alternative? I don't think I have all the answers, but I have a few ideas.

1. Recruiters and hiring managers need to start looking at capabilities rather than degrees. That way students won't feel like they need an IT-related degree in order to get their foot in the door.

2. College students should learn basics of technology - building blocks, so to speak - but don't waste a lot of time learning specific languages, specific technologies, specific hardware, etc... If anything, save that for the last year of college. The skills will still be stale, but not as much. Instead of learning specifics of technology, students should be learning about the role of technology in business. I can't tell you how many techies I know who can configure your core router with their eyes close, but couldn't begin to tell you what value that core router brings to the business.

3. Use the wealth of learning opportunities that exist outside of the traditional model. There are a ton of resources online that will allow you to learn anything you want - often for free. Use them.

What are your thoughts? Am I making too much of it? Do you have other ideas for how to solve this problem?