The CEOs of Home Depot and Walmart U.S. penned a joint column in the Wall Street Journal urging employers to stop valuing college degrees and start valuing skills when hiring. 

In the op-ed published Tuesday and titled “Not Everyone Needs a College Degree,” Home Depot’s Ted Decker and Walmart U.S. branch’s John Furner detail how they “are helping build a skills-based economy.”

“A skills-based approach to employment is critical in a country where 62% of adults don’t have a college degree,” the men wrote.  

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With student loan debt ballooning to nearly $1.8 trillion, the men reject the idea instilled in many Americans that achieving the American dream must include obtaining a college degree. 

“The American dream isn’t dead, but the path to reach it might look different for job seekers today than it did for their parents,” Decker and Furner wrote. “While a college degree is a worthwhile path to prosperity, it isn’t the only one.”

In the op-ed, they point out that skilled trades such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical work are reliable ways to make a good living, but are not pursued enough because so many people believe success requires a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year college.

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The men lead two of the largest private-sector employers in the U.S., representing a combined 2 million jobs. They noted that 90% of Home Depot store leaders started out as hourly employees, as did 75% of Walmart store managers. These store leaders often manage up to hundreds of people and earn six-figures. Most importantly, the positions do not require a college degree. 

Decker and Furner said employers should not only focus on skill-based hiring but also on fostering skill sets among their employees. 

Home Depot and Walmart both offer various training programs for their employees which help create sustainable career paths for workers.

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“We need more employers to join us in building a system where workers can easily transfer skills from one company or industry to another,” they wrote in the op-ed. “We owe it to younger generations to open our minds to the different opportunities workers have to learn new skills and achieve their dreams.”

The two CEOs are hosting a workforce summit in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, during which they’ll talk to business leaders, government officials and workforce experts about the different skills for different careers, how to assess workers’ abilities and how to teach skills on the job.

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During the week of Apr. 15, 2024, average private student loan rates increased for borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to take out 10-year fixed-rate loans and 5-year variable-rate loans.

Through Credible, you can compare private student loan rates from multiple lenders.

For 10-year fixed private student loans, interest rates rose by over a full percentage point, while 5-year variable student loan interest ticked up by more than a third of a percentage point.

Borrowers with good credit may find a lower rate with a private student loan than with some federal loans. For the 2023-24 academic school year, federal student loan rates will range from 5.50% to 8.05%. Private student loan rates for borrowers with good to excellent credit can be lower right now.

Because federal loans come with certain benefits, like access to income-driven repayment plans, you should always exhaust federal student loan options first before turning to private student loans to cover any funding gaps. Private lenders such as banks, credit unions, and online lenders provide private student loans. You can use private loans to pay for education costs and living expenses, which might not be covered by your federal education loans. 

Interest rates and terms on private student loans can vary depending on your financial situation, credit history, and the lender you choose.

Take a look at Credible partner lenders’ rates for borrowers who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender during the week of April 15:

Congress sets federal student loan interest rates each year. These fixed interest rates depend on the type of federal loan you take out, your dependency status and your year in school.

Private student loan interest rates can be fixed or variable and depend on your credit, repayment term and other factors. As a general rule, the better your credit score, the lower your interest rate is likely to be.  

You can compare rates from multiple student loan lenders using Credible.

An interest rate is a percentage of the loan periodically tacked onto your balance — essentially the cost of borrowing money. Interest is one way lenders can make money from loans. Your monthly payment often pays interest first, with the rest going to the amount you initially borrowed (the principal). 

Getting a low interest rate could help you save money over the life of the loan and pay off your debt faster.

Here’s the difference between a fixed and variable rate:

Comparison shopping for private student loan rates is easy when you use Credible.

Using a student loan interest calculator will help you estimate your monthly payments and the total amount you’ll owe over the life of your federal or private student loans.

Once you enter your information, you’ll be able to see what your estimated monthly payment will be, the total you’ll pay in interest over the life of the loan and the total amount you’ll pay back. 

Credible is a multi-lender marketplace that empowers consumers to discover financial products that are the best fit for their unique circumstances. Credible’s integrations with leading lenders and credit bureaus allow consumers to quickly compare accurate, personalized loan options – without putting their personal information at risk or affecting their credit score. The Credible marketplace provides an unrivaled customer experience, as reflected by over 4,300 positive Trustpilot reviews and a TrustScore of 4.7/5.

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The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is warning that some ground beef products may be tainted with E. coli. 

The more than a dozen potentially contaminated products were produced by the Greater Omaha Packing Co., and include both patties and tubes of raw ground beef, according to the FSIS public health alert issued on Saturday.

The agency said it was “concerned that some products may be in consumers’ and food service institutions’ freezers” and urged the public not to consume them due to possible E. coli contamination.

Packaging of the products, which were made on March 28, should show an April 22 “Use/Freeze by” date and the establishment number “EST. 960A.”

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No recall of the affected ground beef products occurred because they “are no longer available for purchase,” the FSIS alert said.

“The problem was discovered by the establishment while conducting an inventory of product that was on hold because it was found positive for E. coli 0157:H7. The company notified FSIS that they inadvertently used a portion of the contaminated beef to produce ground beef products that they subsequently shipped into commerce,” the agency said.

Both food service institutions and retailers received the meat products, FSIS said.

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The type of E. coli that the ground beef products could have “is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2-8 days (3-4 days, on average) after exposure,” FSIS said. 

It is responsible for over one-third of the total 265,000 yearly cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli illnesses that arise in America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated.

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FSIS said the ground beef products subject to Saturday’s public health alert haven’t led to any people getting sick to date. 

Consumers can throw the meat in the trash or take it back to the retailer, according to the agency.

Greater Omaha Packing produces beef that goes to over 70 countries.

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