In many countries, a university degree is regarded as a golden ticket to a high-paying career, while at the same time, self-taught tech moguls and entrepreneurs continually prove that formal credentials are not the only path to success. Faced with soaring tuition costs and a rapidly shifting job market, should we reassess the core value of higher education—is it a hall for cultivating critical thinking and civic literacy, or merely a vocational training camp serving economic productivity? Please articulate your stance and support it with concrete examples from specific countries or fields.