> If the talents of smart people are consistently underutilised, that's a social problem and not just a series of unrelated individual failures. I agree, but I

> If the talents of smart people are consistently underutilised, that's a social problem and not just a series of unrelated individual failures. I agree, but I think the social failure is that we tell people to "do what they love" and "follow their dreams" instead of "do something important" or "do something where you can make a difference". The things that, say, English majors do are probably as objectively important as the things I do at work, but the field is overcrowded to the point that the value added by each additional entrant to the field is significantly reduced. So it's hard to find work that pays well for English majors (at least if they stay in their field). Another thing is that "do something you love" misses is that you should find a career that you love. If you love your college experience but hate the jobs available to you afterward, that degree may not be a net positive.