Oh yeah, I absolutely think that there is room for alternative learning. I think alternative learning is much better than the mainstream stuff most kids get.

My personal bias, I came from a small rural community where education wasn't really valued much. I was "rescued" from this environment and given educational opportunities most never dream of. I am glad I had those opportunites.

I think much of it is just being around a group of peers who are similarly motivated to learn. Being around teachers who can help guide you or understand where you are in your learning. This kind of environment exists in higher education for the most part, where it doesn't exist as much elsewhere.

This kind of group harmony is difficult to find. In my community it hardly exists, but institutions of education are focused, target rich environments for people who want to learn.

You also have to admit that these institutions aren't really designed for advanced learners. They are designed for the average learner. The average student. People with a lot of aptitude and potential to rise well above the average are going to find higher ed as stiffling as they find high school.

In my opinion, I think higher ed is mostly about "getting your papers". Yes, the motivated individual can go out there and learn way more than the average A-level graduate, but how does the world know? How do I know where you fit within social structure? Are you a type A person or a type B person? What kind of aptitude do you have?

There are lots of problems yes. The valedictorian in the grade above me was well known to be a prolific cheater. Passing notes in class after the professor left. Discussing answers. I admired the guy, but I heard multiple stories from people in his classes who didn't know each other that he was dishonorable. I didn't know. The professors didn't know. Yet he ranked high in the list when he graduated. That's an unfortunate anecdote to illustrate the problems.

But I suppose we have to look at the system as a whole. I'm not sure the solution is to do away with higher education, but rather to focus on the right kinds of higher education. Even things like apprenticeships would be a good alternative to many.

To echo your thoughts, I don't use digital logic circuits to do my job either, but how can I measure the positive impact that education has on my work now? Would I write better or worse code had I not learned what I learned in school. I haven't coded a linked list from scratch in over a decade, but I know the concept.

Perhaps the greatest value of education is that it forces us to expand our usable neuronal footprint. It helps our brain recruit neurons to solve problems. A lot of our neurons just sit there waiting to be used for something. Higher education exercises those neurons and makes them easier to put to "productive" use later on.

Another of the motivators for higher ed, I think, are that, "Well... I got a degree, so because I want to keep them valuable, I have to select from those who agree with me." We spent a lot of money getting degrees, so we want to believe they are worth something. The dichotomy though, that higher education is worth something or it isn't, is a false one. How do you measure the value of education? ROI? Personal fulfillment? Opened or closed doors?