Modern schooling and corporate structure are largely influenced by industrial era england and to an extent germany. We do a lot of needless things just because

Modern schooling and corporate structure are largely influenced by industrial era england and to an extent germany. We do a lot of needless things just because there is a recurring expectation of results in exchange for effort. Actual value has nothing to do with it. The careers, values and goals of society as a whole have changed but we still have elementary and high schools and the college. Different classes of careers for different classes of education. Similar career growth structure and managerial structure and so on. I am not saying most education is useless. Just that it might be ill-optimized. Early education should focus on basic reasoning and developing skills that allow the student to research, absorb and implement information. Middle education should focus on exposure to various fields and aspects of contemporary adult life. Late and undrergrad education should focus on a specific career trajectory. I don't see why a Bachelors degree in an optimized education path cannot be obtained before the age of 18 for most people. It shouldn't matter whether or not a 5th grader is good at algebra or chemistry but that they have had enough exposure to make an informed decision about it later on. But they should also be exposed to farming, military life, software development, etc...