The Education Supply Chain Problem with Jeremy Smith

In this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio, our guest, Jeremy Smith, challenges long-held assumptions about higher education, workforce readiness, and the real return on investment of a college degree. From the future of liberal arts to the skills employers actually want, this conversation will push you to rethink how we prepare students for meaningful careers and fulfilling lives.

A graduate  holding a college degree

Jeremy Smith's Bio

Jeremy Smith is a multi-exit startup executive and the co-founder of pega6 — an entirely new kind of higher ed built for the AI Age. Prior to pega6, he was the COO of LODAS Markets, the President & COO of RiskGenius, and Chief Strategy Officer of SecondMarket. In addition to scaling and exiting multiple tech startups, Jeremy has occupied various strategy and operations roles throughout his career.

Jeremy has been interviewed on a variety of podcasts, including Week in EdTech, Disrupt Education, Signals in Higher Ed, and The Network (a CAPS podcast). Jeremy has also spoken at dozens of conferences across the country, and has appeared in many leading publications, including Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, USAToday, and The Wall Street Journal. Jeremy has also been featured on CNBC, NPR, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg.

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The Education Supply Chain Problem with Jeremy Smith

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Jeremy Smith's Bio

Jeremy Smith is a multi-exit startup executive and the co-founder of pega6 — an entirely new kind of higher ed built for the AI Age. Prior to pega6, he was the COO of LODAS Markets, the President & COO of RiskGenius, and Chief Strategy Officer of SecondMarket. In addition to scaling and exiting multiple tech startups, Jeremy has occupied various strategy and operations roles throughout his career.

Jeremy has been interviewed on a variety of podcasts, including Week in EdTech, Disrupt Education, Signals in Higher Ed, and The Network (a CAPS podcast). Jeremy has also spoken at dozens of conferences across the country, and has appeared in many leading publications, including Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, USAToday, and The Wall Street Journal. Jeremy has also been featured on CNBC, NPR, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg.

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The Education Supply Chain Problem with Jeremy Smith

Jeremy Smith's Bio

Jeremy Smith is a multi-exit startup executive and the co-founder of pega6 — an entirely new kind of higher ed built for the AI Age. Prior to pega6, he was the COO of LODAS Markets, the President & COO of RiskGenius, and Chief Strategy Officer of SecondMarket. In addition to scaling and exiting multiple tech startups, Jeremy has occupied various strategy and operations roles throughout his career.

Jeremy has been interviewed on a variety of podcasts, including Week in EdTech, Disrupt Education, Signals in Higher Ed, and The Network (a CAPS podcast). Jeremy has also spoken at dozens of conferences across the country, and has appeared in many leading publications, including Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, USAToday, and The Wall Street Journal. Jeremy has also been featured on CNBC, NPR, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg.

Show Notes

Jeremy says the debate about college shouldn't be whether it's good or bad, but whether it's delivering the right education to the right students at the right time and price.

He argues that higher education is increasingly out of sync with employers, leaving many graduates with degrees but without the skills companies are hiring for.

Jeremy says agility will define successful colleges in the AI era, and institutions must adapt their programs as quickly as the workforce changes.

He believes liberal arts education is critically important, but it should be viewed as a lifelong pursuit rather than something condensed into four years between ages 18 and 22.

Jeremy says the value of the humanities isn't measured by job preparation alone but by helping people become thoughtful, informed citizens.

He argues that students should carefully weigh the return on investment of a degree and avoid taking on excessive debt for programs that don't provide a clear financial pathway.

Jeremy says employers are the ultimate customers of workforce education because they determine whether graduates have the skills needed to succeed in today's economy.

He encourages schools to strengthen the connection between K-12, higher education, and industry so students develop both durable skills and meaningful career opportunities.

Jeremy explains that his popular "WTF Wednesday" LinkedIn series uses real college courses to challenge assumptions about higher education and spark conversations about affordability and educational priorities.

His final message: education should prepare people for productive careers while also developing them into lifelong learners and engaged citizens—but those two goals don't have to be achieved through the same model.

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