Real colleges (as opposed to the jokes currently out there) would make a solid work record of at least one year’s worth of real work) a requirement to get into any creditable academic major.
When my son came home from his Freshman year in college, he said he needed to get a job. I told him to call my buddy, the contractor who needed a grunt.
I told my son that I knew too many engineers who couldn’t operate a screwdriver and he needed the experience.
He worked for my friend for two summers, even running jobs and is now a skilled aerospace engineer