To throw in some personal experience to the discussion, I went to an elementary school where we were taught BASIC (in addition to a lot of 'practical' classes t

To throw in some personal experience to the discussion, I went to an elementary school where we were taught BASIC (in addition to a lot of 'practical' classes that aren't included in most American public schools). I can definitely see how some of the problems people are talking about would arise, but as a direct result of that and similar classes, I and several of my friends picked our careers very early on, taught ourselves what we needed to know, and landed our dream jobs before we were even close to college. We had a practical hobby, excelled at math, and have done quite well for ourselves. I really wish the public schools where I live now would step up to the plate and teach some more practical stuff. I really feel a lot of the kids are wasting their time with stuff they don't really enjoy, and don't need to be taught over and over again.