I’m sure you’ll get hired if you say,”I went to the library a lot” in your interview.
That's the missing link right there. What is missing is a reliable system of testing, certification, and credentialing.
Most of the information learned in the STEM fields is rote and changes little from year to year. Obviously, laboratories and clinical rotations require brick and mortar but the rest doesn't. Honestly, now, how much does calculus, differential equations, and general chem change from year to year?
The associate who took over my practice owed a quarter of a million dollars in student debt. Wow!
Imagine if only cost $25,000 to become a doctorate level professional. And...That could be completely possible with used textbooks ( They cost pennies), free Internet courses, some brick and mortar attendance, and a system of certified testing.