Be careful what you wish for.<p>Asking universities to teach &quot;hands-on learning&quot; isn&#x27;t productive; you&#x27;ll get plenty of that, that&#x27;s more recent and marketable, from practical work experience. I&#x27;d rather the universities go even further in the theoretical direction.<p>What I got from engineering school wasn&#x27;t just another 2-3 years of work experience, it was much deeper things like numeracy, learning to write well, lifelong relationships, appreciation for rigor, and a hell of a work ethic. It was a fantastic value for the time and money I put in and it was absolutely worth it.<p>(UIUC alumnus living&#x2F;working in SF)