I don't think this generalizes as well as you think it does. Even in technology, credentials haven't become un-important, just less so, and I think it's the furthest along that path. I suspect most of these kids want to be successful doctors, lawyers, scientists, (non-software-) engineers, or "traditional" business management rather than hackers, and credentials are still the way to do those things, and will be for the foreseeable future.
> I suspect most of these kids want to be successful doctors, lawyers, scientists, (non-software-) engineers, or "traditional" business management rather than hackers, and credentials are still the way to do those things, and will be for the foreseeable future.
In the case of doctors and lawyers (and engineers in many cases), there is a legal requirement to have credentials in order to be involved in practice.
I believe it is different in the US, but in the UK, experience is valued most regarding hacking (IT work). A CS degree holds little water, since many of them are, well, inadequate.
It is not that credentials are not needed--in my example, Johnny Lee still has credentials--but that it is not essential to gain the very best credentials in order to find work where one's creativity matters.
