We should really be asking WHAT we want out of college then look at the best way to provide that whether it is college or not. Also, this question is somewhat

We should really be asking WHAT we want out of college then look at the best way to provide that whether it is college or not. Also, this question is somewhat US centric since in Europe (correct me if I am wrong), if you want to become a lawyer, you can just go straight to law school (instead of doing 4 years and then going to law school). I personally think that these are the most important goals: 1) time and space for young adults to ask basic questions of themselves and the society they live in, to try and fail, pick yourself up again 2) exposure to some of the best the society has to offer: art, science, literature, etc... 3) training ground for specializing in a field So going into a trade will give you 3), but should there be more societal support for 1) and 2)? IMHO, coursera and the like theoretically spread limited availability of 3) but because of their virtual nature do a worse job of 1) and 2).