Sure, alternatives are one option, and particularly in IT, where a degree program is of questionable value at best (the industry tends to move far too fast for colleges to keep up - I don't have one specifically because I began such a program after having already accrued job experience, and found it to be a complete waste of time and money).

But for other specialties, simply throwing up your hands and saying "let's look at alternatives" is a policy of failure, because degree programs and their graduates still have an important role to play in society as a whole.