As the West was being settled, it became common to say the phrase, Go West, young man. It was a line meant to encourage those seeking a better life to go find it. The west was filled with treasures “ gold was a major focus at the time “ and the land was wild and filled with danger from people and wild animals alike. Intrepid souls braved the unknown to push out and find their way in the new country. It’s unfortunate that as time has passed, a similar phrase has not come into use to encourage similarly aged, ambitious but wayward young people to do good for themselves. The phrase would sound something like, Get an education, young person, and it just hasn’t become all that widespread.
Of course, the phrase would no longer be directed only to men and boys with the frontier dangers long gone, the environment is as suitable in any area of the country for women to prosper as it is for men. As for the educational process, it has changed and become much more focused as decades have passed. It’s only in places such as a remote Amish community that one sees one-room school buildings with kids from all grades sitting next to one another, learning lessons from the same teacher. In contemporary schools, kids get a broader teaching system, complete with a selection of teachers for various grades.
Additionally, if a child demonstrates exceptional aptitude, they are often allowed to take more advanced classes which will better prepare them for future educational opportunities in college and beyond. As college becomes to the current generation what high school was to previous generations (the first considered educational stopping point) advanced degrees demonstrating aptitude and skill will be the determining factors in advanced job placements. Skill alone can only take a student so far. The future is now, and the future requires a baseline education to land a decent job