No, I don't believe that school is the ultimate, but I do believe that in some instances, school still has a place in society.
HERE IS WHY
—Virtually anything anyone could want to learn can be found on the internet, and perfected through doing. School on any level spends a lot of time either in the theory of things or in rote repetition or memorization, all the while trying to keep everyone learning the same thing at the same pace.
If you want to learn how to code or do anything connected with technology, more than likely you can find technical information about it on the net, or even take an online course for that specific emphasis, without the need of signing up for or attending in person a class filled with courses you will never use or need, all for the sake of demonstrating discipline.
—In a growing number of industries and subindustries, employers need to rigorously train their employees in proprietary systems and processes, even if the employees went to school in a particular field. That's because studies tend to be either too limited, or too general. Also, many times employers find that new hires pick up faster on what the employer would like them to learn if they're self taught and used to figuring out things on their own, and not locked in on just one or two ways of doing things.
—School is too much about socialization and not enough about education. This applies particularly to the lower levels, but also to the first two to four years of college. After that, things might get serious as students move through masters and doctorate programs.
Unfortunately, too much of the socialization that goes on is negative. Even if it's not out and out fighting, demeaning words, threats or other forms of bullying, there's peer pressure, stereotyping, cliches or classes, and too much of a need to fit in somewhere.
—School costs too much. I'm thinking specifically about college now, but this could apply again to the lower levels. Education costs have gone up increasingly over the years, to the point where it's prohibitive for many would be students to go, even with student aid and especially with loans.
In most cases, school does not guarantee that a student will get a job in their chosen field or career, which means many end up working doing something else, and probably earning below what they should, simply because there aren't enough jobs, too much competition, or the pay isn't commiserate with the college education.
—With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a growing number of jobs will be automated or lost to obsolescence. At least, that's the predictions currently being thrown out. If such is the case, then spending time and effort in school might not be worth it at all. The talk so far about this has been around jobs and current employees, but there will be an impact on the number of students that would have gone to college for those kinds of careers, too.
WHERE SCHOOL STILL HAS A PLACE
There is a great need for people in vocational work or the trades—welders, plumbers, electricians, etc. These type of vocational schools are usually cheaper, offer opportunities like apprenticeships where the learner gets practical experience and pay, where they don't have to put their life entirely on hold before they start making a living and potentially providing for a spouse and family.
If school was still geared towards getting people into a job or career quickly, straight out of high school or after two years of technical training, it would improve things dramatically and become much more of a necessary component in people's lives.
Unfortunately, none of that is likely to happen, as the current system is loathe and slow to change. But less and less emphasis is currently being placed on education by employers, and that trend will continue to happen as time goes by.
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No, I don't believe that school is the ultimate, but I do believe that in some instances, school still has a place in society.
HERE IS WHY
—Virtually anything anyone could want to learn can be found on the internet, and perfected through doing. School on any level spends a lot of time either in the theory of things or in rote repetition or memorization, all the while trying to keep everyone learning the same thing at the same pace.
If you want to learn how to code or do anything connected with technology, more than likely you can find technical information about it on the net, or even take an online course for that specific emphasis, without the need of signing up for or attending in person a class filled with courses you will never use or need, all for the sake of demonstrating discipline.
—In a growing number of industries and subindustries, employers need to rigorously train their employees in proprietary systems and processes, even if the employees went to school in a particular field. That's because studies tend to be either too limited, or too general. Also, many times employers find that new hires pick up faster on what the employer would like them to learn if they're self taught and used to figuring out things on their own, and not locked in on just one or two ways of doing things.
—School is too much about socialization and not enough about education. This applies particularly to the lower levels, but also to the first two to four years of college. After that, things might get serious as students move through masters and doctorate programs.
Unfortunately, too much of the socialization that goes on is negative. Even if it's not out and out fighting, demeaning words, threats or other forms of bullying, there's peer pressure, stereotyping, cliches or classes, and too much of a need to fit in somewhere.
—School costs too much. I'm thinking specifically about college now, but this could apply again to the lower levels. Education costs have gone up increasingly over the years, to the point where it's prohibitive for many would be students to go, even with student aid and especially with loans.
In most cases, school does not guarantee that a student will get a job in their chosen field or career, which means many end up working doing something else, and probably earning below what they should, simply because there aren't enough jobs, too much competition, or the pay isn't commiserate with the college education.
—With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a growing number of jobs will be automated or lost to obsolescence. At least, that's the predictions currently being thrown out. If such is the case, then spending time and effort in school might not be worth it at all. The talk so far about this has been around jobs and current employees, but there will be an impact on the number of students that would have gone to college for those kinds of careers, too.
WHERE SCHOOL STILL HAS A PLACE
There is a great need for people in vocational work or the trades—welders, plumbers, electricians, etc. These type of vocational schools are usually cheaper, offer opportunities like apprenticeships where the learner gets practical experience and pay, where they don't have to put their life entirely on hold before they start making a living and potentially providing for a spouse and family.
If school was still geared towards getting people into a job or career quickly, straight out of high school or after two years of technical training, it would improve things dramatically and become much more of a necessary component in people's lives.
Unfortunately, none of that is likely to happen, as the current system is loathe and slow to change. But less and less emphasis is currently being placed on education by employers, and that trend will continue to happen as time goes by.