Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO Alex Karp has regularly criticized higher education, and he recently shared which types of students will make it and which ones will struggle to find jobs.
"You will get paid downstream of the value you create," he said in an Axios interview.
Karp then explored what type of value gets rewarded in the marketplace and ways to stand out.
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Specialize In A Key Skill
Universities teach students about a wide range of topics and offer generalized knowledge. While specialized knowledge comes with a degree, Karp believes college students have to specialize their knowledge to make it in the marketplace.
"The Yale grad will have to learn something specific — domain expertise,” he told Axois. "How do I actually write a script that allows me to target terrorists? How do I put the cement in a factory with such precision that you can build a factory like it was built in Taiwan, in America?”
You don't have to be good at everything, but you have to be highly skilled in a few areas. Karp views that as the path to a high-paying salary, and as you demonstrate your skill in various work environments, it may become easier to command a higher paycheck.
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Don't Rely On College
It's been a long-held belief that if you get good grades in college and graduate, a high-paying job will be waiting on the other side. However, Karp questioned how often that scenario plays out during his Axios interview while saying that Ivy League graduates are annoyed that hands-on workers outearn them.
"I think that annoys these people," he told Axois. “I think the average Ivy League grad voting for [Mamdani] is highly annoyed that their education is not that valuable.”
Karp emphasized building specialized knowledge instead of generalized knowledge multiple times in the interview. You have to proactively learn new things on your own outside of the college curriculum to give yourself an edge.
"The person down the street who knows how to drill for oil and gas, who’s moved to Texas, has a more valuable profession," he told Axois.
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Learn AI To Get Ahead
It's no surprise that Karp is bullish on AI, given how much Palantir uses AI to create leading data analytics software. However, AI technology is evolving rapidly and can be a complementary force for people who want to excel in their industries.
“AI is going to help many people with vocational training, but [with] no college degree, make a lot more money because of the value being created,” he told Axois.
AI can help people learn new things, perform tasks faster, and create long-term plans. The technology is already realizing some of its potential, and it is bound to get better. Young professionals who commit to mastering AI will give themselves a competitive advantage over people who ignore it. AI can be the great equalizer that allows professionals without college degrees to surpass Ivy League students.
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