OP has a great point - college has become the next assumed step in education for way too many fields. The idea behind college was something totally different than what it is today. I see so many promising young minds put aside their "hobby" (which is something they're good at and love doing) because they "need" to finish get a degree. The best electrician I know never finished high school, and yet he manages through life just fine. The best carpenter I know is the same way, and he's exceptionally intelligent and well-informed. No GED. No degree. Just common sense and feet firmly on the ground. We have this idea that somehow not going to high school means failure. After attending 4 years of college and getting a degree in business, I can safely say I only should have paid for the 4th and final year. Everything else was just filling somebody's credit quota.
I'm firmly in favor of apprenticeships starting whenever someone wants to start - even if it's a 14-year old wanting to work for his father. The best training is passed on first-hand, from people who love their jobs to people eager to learn. Every day I see people making six-figure salaries - absolutely miserable. They hate their jobs, then come home to an empty 4 bedroom house in the suburbs. They live for the weekend, dreading the work week. They went to college because that's what everyone else did - that's how you make money, right? With a degree in...something? Then I see my boss. No college, just makes enough to pay the bills, put a little in savings, give me a small raise, and put a little to grow the business each year. He's the happiest and most contributing guy I know. Gives back to the community. Makes the world a better place. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you actually love what you do. You won't find that if you're just looking for the top dollar jobs.
Johnnyallstar: "In my opinion, high school (or college, in some places of the world) should be where basic skills should be taught, and the university level is where specialization happens. There is no excuse for rudimentary maths like basic algebra to be taught at the university level."
Absolutely. And that means that our current "K-12" education system is failing. It's almost like procrastination spread across 13 years - they slowly try and put off the "challenging" (useful) material until the last possible year. Whether from some misguided desire to protect those young, fragile minds, or just plain laziness - who knows? I was homeschooled until 8th grade, then went into public school at 8th grade (essentially doing it twice because I was so young.) It was a stark contrast of "wanting to learn vs. forced to memorize" I can elaborate if you're actually interested, but we had to fight tooth and nail to actually be accepted into public school because my scores were too high. Yeah.
Johnnyallstar: "That implies that if you don't go to a university that you have absolutely no ambition, dreams, or goals in life. There are plenty of people who have had successful lives due to their determination to succeed and the freedom to do so, all without a so called higher education."
I totally agree - my boss is a great example. But the cultural expectation has become "High school is done. What's the next step? We recommend a great college! Military's fine too...oh, you want to be a plumber? I guess...but if you go to college, you can make lots of money!"
I've even heard radio commercials lately - basically saying "Do you want a high paying job? Community college is the way to go." (As if it guaranteed you that!) I wish I was joking, but that's what college has become - a prerequisite to something else, just like high school is now.
Is college bankrupting America? It probably doesn't help. No matter what, it's become ridiculous. (Don't get me started on MBA business programs!)