In response to post #27188304. #27188919, #27191199, #27192944, #27193319, #27223279 are all replies on the same post. I agree with fallout31961 and Thaiauxn. The school system, at least here in the US, is a joke. I'm 27, and I don't remember it being particularly good when I was in it. I remember when I lived in Florida and went to a charter school, that was pretty good, challenging, then we had to move in 12th grade to Virginia. The school was extremely easy, I had to retake the state test and I felt like I was back in middle school. It was on the computer, and heck I was even able to find a way to cheat on it (not that I even needed to). My AP computer science class went from having actual lectures, projects, etc to being just "Here's this book, copy all the code from the book to the IDE and compile it." No lectures, no teaching, just busywork. I knew more than everyone (read: Two people) in that Virginia AP comp-sci class because the only thing they did was copy out of a book. No actual drive to learn the stuff, or expand. The school system gives you no reason to actually want to go. Yeah some of the stuff you learn is interesting, but for the most part it's not. Most of the time you seem to get teachers who have too many students, not enough time to actually come up with compelling course material, etc. You literally have no other drive, short of whatever you come with, aside from getting grades and passing these stupid state tests.