Was your education relevant?

vladimir · Post by **vladimir** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:20 am

How much of what we learn at school is relevant/useful, or even necessary?

Beyond literacy, most of us go to school for around 10 years, and then some go to university, which extends it to around 14 or 16 if you go on to a Master's degree.

But at secondary school level, how much of the stuff you learned is actually useful?

I would say the vast majority of stuff I learned at HS was never of any practical use.

I'd like to see some compulsory subjects at school, relationships and gender issues, anger management, political science, sustainable social business skills, history of art and music, environmental science, etc.

Old joke about a worker at Walmart: 1st day on the job, the manager asks him to mop the floor: mop the floor? I have an MBA! Wait, I'll get you the manual.

Post by **Username Taken** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:28 am

When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School, it's a wonder I can think at all.

vladimir · Post by **vladimir** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:31 am

Thank you, Paul, this is why we have Art classes, which have garfunkel to do with your career

TheGrinchSR · Post by **TheGrinchSR** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:35 am

I'd like the core curriculum to change... though I don't think I'd say that any of what I learned was irrelevant (being able to turn your hand to many disciplines is a useful skill to learn in its own right).

What I would like to see appear include Politics 101 (how the voting system and different forms of representation work), Personal Finance 101 (how to save, how to acquire assets, etc.), Cultural 101 (a guide to different cultures, religions, sexualities, etc. and a brief overview of how these things work in practice), Practical Living (seriously some people end up at uni unable to make toast... learning to cook, change a fuse or a lightbulb, etc.) and perhaps a Relevancy 101 (filled with all those little bits of information which are incredibly useful but don't consist of a whole course in anything).

StroppyChops · Post by **StroppyChops** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:38 am

About 80% if my science degree was time wasted, about 60% of my Master's in Education was outdated and irrelevant 10 years before it was taught (and most literally hadn't been updated since the lecturer got tenure in the Industrial Age).

vladimir · Post by **vladimir** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:39 am

I think Forums 101 would be useful, Dr vlad could lecture...

Rain Dog · Post by **Rain Dog** » Sat May 16, 2015 11:58 am

vladimir wrote:How much of what we learn at school is relevant/useful, or even necessary?

Beyond literacy, most of us go to school for around 10 years, and then some go to university, which extends it to around 14 or 16 if you go on to a Master's degree.

But at secondary school level, how much of the stuff you learned is actually useful?

I would say the vast majority of stuff I learned at HS was never of any practical use.

I'd like to see some compulsory subjects at school, relationships and gender issues, anger management, political science, sustainable social business skills, history of art and music, environmental science, etc.

Old joke about a worker at Walmart: 1st day on the job, the manager asks him to mop the floor: mop the floor? I have an MBA! Wait, I'll get you the manual.

I am not so negative about that actually. Certainly a fair amount of curricula was wasted on me and early years are mostly rote memorization -- but the wide range of subject matter gives you exposure to a lot of things and by doing so lets you determine what is interesting to you and hopefully encourages you to pursue further.

Cheers,

RD

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Sat May 16, 2015 12:10 pm

school teaches ( at least in the west) u to think for ur self, to examine everything and not take anything for granted, also opens you up to new ideas.
actual courses for the most part are irrelevant

The degree shows prospective employers you can start, follow thru and complete something.

StroppyChops · Post by **StroppyChops** » Sat May 16, 2015 2:05 pm

vladimir wrote:I think Forums 101 would be useful, Dr vlad could lecher...

FTFY

StroppyChops · Post by **StroppyChops** » Sat May 16, 2015 2:07 pm

The single thing I learned of greatest value through undergraduate studies was how to learn. Necessary, as postgraduate study is very much "teach thyself - here, let us give you all the stuff you don't need to know or is just plain wrong, that should make research easier."

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