The truth of the matter here is that the girl in the article settled for something other than what she originally wanted to be. Sure, she may have acquired some job security at a fairly young age. But she'll always be a machinist, not an engineer with a focus on international studies, a machinist. I think these apprenticeship opportunities are fantastic for those who absolutely cannot afford college, or those that would only end up earning a useless degree. But if you can afford college, even with loans, it is an experience that you cannot replicate if you do it right.

Here on HN and in the tech/startup community, there has been a ton of college-bashing recently. While I agree that the cost of a college education in America these days is ridiculously high, I still see it as a worthy investment in most situations (I'm glad I was fortunate enough to make that investment). It's an environment where knowledge flows openly and the mistakes of learning are less costly. It's a time where young adults learn about themselves and their place in the world. It's an invaluable source of connections and relationships. In the end, that kind of experience can enable people to become exactly who/what they want to be. That has always been the inherent goal of higher education, but we seem to have gotten lost along the way.

Now in this thread and all over the internet, I've heard story after story of people who went to college and claimed no benefit from it. Many of them state that they never learned anything useful at all. I feel that often this problem is more the fault of the individual than the university system. If a person can claim they went through college without learning, then I must conclude that they didn't try hard enough. Learning is not a passive activity. It requires dialogue, critical thinking, rehearsal, connection-making, and questioning. Learning is something you choose to do.

Now, that is not to say that our colleges and universities are without flaws. Far from it. Current education techniques have become antiquated in face of new technology and a better understanding of how knowledge is acquired. The "sage on the stage" style of lecture is no longer an effective means of enriching young minds. Meanwhile, large universities operate more like corporations than institutes of education. They build huge recreational centers and football stadiums to attract students, while the educational facilities stagnate. High ranking officials take pay raises, while our teachers and professors are paid scraps compared to how important their jobs are. Admission decisions are affected by who you know and how much tuition you can be milked for. Research universities continue to hire brilliant minds from all different fields of research, but whom lack the ability/concern for actually teaching. Furthermore, education in technical fields completely ignores "soft skills" that make for truly great engineers/scientists/mathematicians. Meanwhile, tuition rates continue to rise.

I have seen all of the above, firsthand. Education has hardly changed since the Cold War, and it's time for a revolution. Abandoning the higher education system is not an option if we wish to continue developing ourselves and to grow as a species. This community here is full of some of the most intelligent and creative individuals that I have ever interacted with. Surely, we can fix this.

TL;DR The girl in this article gave up on her dream. If utilized to its full potential, a college education is a very beneficial experience, for those that can afford it, and should not be passed up. Our education system has A LOT of flaws, but abandoning it is not the answer. We need to fix the system to ensure a brighter future.