According to a new study released by the Department of Education, students who pursue an occupational credential (an education that is career-centered) are more likely to be employed than those who get an academic credential.

This suggests that recent efforts to encourage more individuals to pursue college (President Barack Obama said that all Americans should have at least some postsecondary education) may be misguided. The data also suggest that the administration's antagonism toward more career-focused educational tracks—often provided by for-profit trade schools and community colleges—is misplaced.

Instead, these new data underscore the need for more diversity and innovation in the higher education sphere.

Academia Vs. Value

The study uses data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), which tracked students who had enrolled in college for the first time.