What does college teach anyone about life?
But this is exactly the problem. You obviously have
no clue yet you are passing judgement!
Well I never applied myself at school, got average grades and had no plans to stay in education at all. I mean really, I was just like you guys about the whole thing. But I went along to an open day (not really sure why) and got convinced to sign up to a college course - still not believing I was really gonna stick at it. Unlike you American folk, here you leave school at the ripe old age of 16, go onto college until 18 (if you wish), then onto university until 21 (if you wish).
But hey, I not only enjoyed college and stuck with it, but I ended up being the top of my class and I went on to finish a degree. I tell you what, this is the same old argument everyone always has and the simple answer is...
"Your an idiot if you think education is a waste of time, you learn 'how to learn' (really you do), you learn about yourself in ways that would take you 20yrs to figure out otherwise, and it doesn't matter what you say about so-called 'teachers' you still learn from them 95% of the time whether you like to admit it or not"
However...
"If you think that a degree gets you anywhere in life, your also an idiot. Its a piece of paper that actually in the 'real world' means jack all. Why? because most of what you learn is 2 years behind what's used 'in the field' - most of the 'teachers' struggle to keep up to date and just because 'you know how to do something' doesn't mean 'you can do something' in the real world."
Take this forum for example, 100 people could say they are an IM guru based on all the wonderful things they read here, yet not once have they ever actually implemented any of it. Thats why graduates can loose jobs to 'uneducated' people who have spent the same number of years working from the bottom and learning on-the-job. Why? because so many employers would pick someone with 3/4 years experience in a field and no degree over a fresh graduate in a heartbeat. Sad but true.
This is the exact reason why those entering the medical profession must complete x number of years actually working and doing the job (e.g. doctor) in addition to their formal academic study, because there are just some things you cant learn from a book, in a classroom, or even from someone else.
So all-in-all it really comes down to what YOU make of it. For those that feel strongly that education is a waste of time, then it will be. For those who don't, it will be very beneficial. For me, im glad I went, it opened my mind in ways I never thought of, and allowed me to achieve things I never imagined I would. It feels a lifetime ago I went to university and I am actually considering going back to complete another two completely unrelated degree's, ideally one in theoretical astrophysics and the other in electronic/photonic engineering, or similar subjects. They have absolutely no bearing on a career or running my own business, will cost me thousands in tuition fee's, but its just something I want to do.
But to anyone who says at 16 that they know everything and dont need to stay on in education, well everyone else 10+ years or with an education will simply look at you in the same way that you would look at a 5 year old who said the same thing to you!
No offence, but its true... and YOU will be doing the same in 10+ years to a cocky 16 year old regardless of whether you got yourself an education or not. That's just the way life is
