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Comment by lhnn | Hacker News Reader

My friend and I were debating this topic today. We both agree that ideally, a well rounded education in the arts and sciences is optimal. However, is it necessary for the skilled completion of many trades? I don't think so.

I think high school has started to fail as an educational mechanism.

Let's face it: There are many, many stupid people in the world who will never be that bright. Be it from biological or parental reasons, there are many who will not grasp intricate logic, higher math and philosophy, etc.

Also, many students are capable of beginning higher education in high school. Programming, engineering, even medical studies could be started in the teen years of the brightest students. But we're not fulfilling that potential at the moment.

tl;dr high school should be more challenging, and we should accept that not everyone should go to college.

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The problem is that nobody is ready to determine their career path at the end of grade school.

I was. I've known that CS was what I've wanted to do since about 6th grade. Perhaps more exposure towards careers in required?

Germany finds your argument unpersuasive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:High_schools_in_German...

FTL: "As the German school system differs slightly from the Anglo-Saxon system, these high schools are Gymnasiums. This corresponds more likely between high school and college. The university exam, the "abitur" is often compared to a high school diploma in the United States, it is academically closer to the associate degree of a US college"

So, I don't see how Germany is any different.

It is weird seeing Germans contrasted with Anglo-saxon, since both the Angles and Saxons were German tribes originally. I guess there has been a lot of 'water under the bridge' since then.

Very few people are ready to determine their career path at the end of high school either. Studying a trade doesn't mean that's what you're going to do for the rest of your life. It would be nice, though, if high school graduates could have a choice other than going to university or bagging groceries.

Sure, but that shouldn't get in the way of making more advanced topics available to kids in late grade school and early high school if they show aptitude for it.

I might not have been ready to choose a career in 9th grade, but I sure as hell would have taken a class on linear algebra, astronomy, computer science, etc. if it had been available. Having the choice to take advanced classes in any interest gives you a much better foundation to start with no matter what career you choose later.

You have to realize colleges are businesses too. They are in it to make money. They need higher student counts in order to rake in cash. Anyone else trying to tell you otherwise, is a salesman.

My university did this 4 years ago because they needed a large influx of students to start paying off loans for new buildings etc... SAT score requirements were super low. No application essay required or test that needed to be taken. Our school went from 15k to 36k within 4 years where each student is paying on average 3k a semester. Do the math, the amount of cash going in is disgusting. Not to mention grants.

Anecdotes aside, I completely agree that high school has failed due to lovely legislation, etc... And parents should also be held liable for their children's behavior and education. Each generation's children should be more educated than the former.

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