The World and Türkiye in 2025

Aydın Tiryaki (December 31, 2025)
(Gemini AI was used as a data compilation and writing assistant)

Abstract: The year 2025 has been a period where the balance between the speed of technology and the depth of academic quality was intensely scrutinized. This article analyzes the role of digitalization in education, the enduring value of a rooted university education, the deep chasm between “signboard universities” and norm-carrying institutions, and the true expectations of the labor market.

Introduction: The Power of Academic Norms in the Tech Age

As we bid farewell to 2025, the world of education is in search of “true quality” within the information density created by digital tools. While artificial intelligence and online platforms accelerate learning, the critical perspective, social ecosystem, and theoretical depth offered by a university remain indispensable. 2025 has once again proven that education is not just a “race to collect certificates” but a process of competence built upon a solid academic foundation.

1. Global Education: Prestigious Universities vs. Micro-Specialization

While the future of education was debated globally in 2025, the weight of established institutions remained intact:

• The Importance of Academic Depth: Although micro-credentials offered by tech giants provide specific technical skills, the ability to solve complex problems and interpret universal ethical values is only possible through a quality university education. In 2025, prestigious employers worldwide view certificates as “complements” but still seek a foundational education in a strong university degree.
• AI-Enhanced Deep Learning: Leading universities have started using artificial intelligence not to simplify information, but as a tool to deepen research and data analysis.

2. University Education in Türkiye: The Distinction of Norms and Signboards

For Türkiye, the year 2025 has been when the “quality gap” in higher education was most clearly visible:

• True University Culture: Degrees from institutions with established academic norms—such as METU, ITU, Boğaziçi, Koç, and Bilkent—continue to hold an unshakable legitimacy in both local and global labor markets as of 2025. The social networks, laboratory facilities, and academic traditions offered by these institutions provide a value-add that digital platforms cannot replicate.
• Institutions Facing Quality Issues: On the other hand, degrees from universities that consist merely of physical buildings and lack sufficient academic staff or library infrastructure are experiencing a significant loss of value in 2025. The problem lies not with the “degree” itself, but with the lack of academic norms behind it.

3. Jobs of the Future: Theoretical Foundations and Skill Alignment

In 2025, the business world is looking for experts who grasp the logic behind processes, not just those who “write code” or “operate tools”:

• Which Skill is More Valuable? As AI develops, the validity period of technical skills is shortening. Therefore, in 2025, the most valuable competence has been the “basic scientific logic” and “learning how to learn” skills instilled by universities.
• University-Industry Collaboration: The models that proved successful in 2025 were not those that excluded university education, but those that blended academic education with the current needs of the industry through internships and projects.

4. The Campus Life as a Social Ecosystem

The greatest constraint of digital education in 2025 has been its collision with the reality that humans are social beings. Discussions in campus environments, student clubs, and face-to-face interactions hold a place in a young person’s personality development that digital screens can never replace. Thus, a quality university education remains critical in 2026 projections as a “maturation process” rather than just “information transfer.”

Conclusion

Data from 2025 shows that the future of education lies not in the question of “degree or certificate,” but in “how quality academic norms can be enriched with digital tools.” The future projection for 2026 suggests that the value of top-tier universities will continue to rise, while institutions that fail to meet these norms will lose their function entirely. The vision for Türkiye in 2026 should be to bring existing universities up to universal academic standards rather than opening a university in every city, making a quality degree the strongest social guarantee.

APPENDIX: DIGITALIZATION IN EDUCATION AND JOBS OF THE FUTURE – A CURRENT PERSPECTIVE

The year 2025 has been a period in which education systems began to experience their most radical transformation due to the “disruptive” effect of artificial intelligence. On a global scale, a new paradigm has emerged where traditional degrees are being replaced by skill-based certifications, and the concept of “lifelong learning” has become a necessity. While AI-powered personalized learning models offer a significant opportunity for the democratization of education, the “digital divide” between those who produce technology and those who merely consume it has been passed on to 2026 as the greatest risk factor deepening global inequality.

In Türkiye, this process is caught between efforts to expand technological infrastructure and the “injustice of access” created by the economic crisis. Although digitalization in education appears to be accelerating on paper, for millions of students without access to quality hardware and unlimited internet, this transformation unfortunately risks becoming a form of social exclusion. The fact that universities remain sluggish in responding to the rapidly changing needs of industry and the business world is making the problems of youth unemployment and “qualified brain drain” even more chronic. Türkiye’s future will be measured not by the number of tablets or smartboards, but by how well it can implement a curriculum revolution that enables students to use these tools for critical thinking and creative production.

In the 2026 projection, the “jobs of the future” are no longer limited solely to coding or data analytics. Roles that require ethical judgment, complex problem solving, and human empathy—skills that AI cannot yet automate—are becoming the most valuable sectors of employment. However, the preparation process for this new world signifies both a significant financial burden and the necessity of re-establishing equality of opportunity in education for Türkiye. If this transformation is not managed in a fair and qualified manner, technological progress will form the basis for new class distinctions instead of increasing social welfare.

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A Note on Methods and Tools: All observations, ideas, and solution proposals in this study are the author’s own. AI was utilized as an information source for researching and compiling relevant topics strictly based on the author’s inquiries, requests, and directions; additionally, it provided writing assistance during the drafting process. (The research-based compilation and English writing process of this text were supported by AI as a specialized assistant.)