Also, why pay so much for an education, when all the lectures are free.

There is more people persueing the academic lifestyle than there is money chasing them. Professors are not incentivised for education, just research. Many see the undergraduates as a burden. Why do we entrust education to researchers? Unless you are a liberal arts major, the bachelors degree is about having a career. 'We're teaching students how to think' is a copout. The core curriculum is for that, the individual classes (outside of philosophy or logic) are not. College currently specializes in teaching students how to succeed as college students. Not with a career. Leading to diminished ROI and the academic glut.

not too bad, I work for higher ed as well, I have to come up with wild explanations and sometime outright fabrications in order to get any training, and if the training has a cert attempt attached, best not to mention it and expect to hear grief from coworkers about it later. The ivory tower people don't like industry certs because they are too practical (not High Brow enough), and only value the academic certs. The IT Department has an official IT certs don't matter policy, and we're expected to learn everything we need and keep up with future technology on our own. A few get to go to an industry convention junket. but they are rare cases. we do get a discount on academic courses but the IT courses offered are no way as useful as the industry courses. I'm selling my possessions in order to pay for new certs and maintenance fees.