> pejoratively named "trade schools"

That's an accurate name, and only seems pejorative if you see learning a trade as lesser than studying academics.

> name university can confer a bachelor's in some bullshit field, but the respectable local trade school cannot confer a bachelor's in plumbing

This misunderstands what the different kinds of credentials are.

You're hiding behind semantics.

Why should there be a difference in the degree being conferred at all? And if so, why not split off the departments that confer degrees with a low-earning potential and call them "entertainment schools" or something?

> Why should there be a difference in the degree being conferred at all?

You are asking why there "should" be a difference between a CCNA cert and a Computer Science degree. That difference isn't a "should" thing, it's an "is" thing. They are fundamentally different.

> why not split off the departments that confer degrees with a low-earning potential

Earning potential is unrelated to the distinction between trade certification vs academic degrees.

Yeah I can't wait for the opportunity for those perjoratively named "community" colleges to be able to award MDs and JDs in whatever fields they teach. Maybe also licenses while we're at it. I'd love to be a licensed physicist with an MD in math.

Terms have meanings and they matter, even if you don't choose to bother to understand them.

A baccalaureate is an academic degree, which is not what trade employers are looking for. They want certifications and licenses.

They usually need their employees to have certifications and licenses, by law.

Licensing and degrees are not mutually exclusive. Plenty of engineers take licensing exams (CS degree holders are a large exception).

What’s pejorative about the term trade school? Also the difference is a bachelors degree is conferred to people that have had a well rounded education, not a 6 month course on a highly specific niche.

I think "trade school" is only a pejorative for those who are already fully immersed in the echo-chamber of academia.

Most of higher ed in the US are not education, they are trade schools for white collar work.