[bko]

It's not just about work ethic. It's about social skills. I worked as a lifeguard for 6 years and the amount of skills I picked up from socializing with the parents and children really helped me out. I probably learned a lot more from that job than I did at school. I learned things about psychology and raising children as I saw a lot of parents with different styles and got to follow their kids as they grew up. I learned about responsibility and showing up on time. I learned how to manage money. And probably most importantly I learned how to talk to adults. It was my most rewarding and fond memory of my childhood.

The alternative life path was basically me staying at home for hours playing Diablo 2.

[xracy]

Because there aren't real people on the internet who you can learn social skills from? With any of this, you get out what you put in. Social skills can absolutely be learned at school, and often are. Try again.

> I learned how to manage money. And probably most importantly I learned how to talk to adults.

I learned how to manage money from an very simple allowance for chores my parents gave me. But also... I really learned to manage money at 18 due to a number of things including college expenses and other stuff. Managing money is not the end-all you think has to be learned at a job. Home Ec is a real class in most public schools.

Talking to adults is a thing you learn by living and interacting in the world. You might've happened to learn some of it at work, but there is no requirement to learning it at work. Also, there's nothing that special about talking to adults that's that different from talking to teenagers... Basics of conversation are simple.

> It was my most rewarding and fond memory of my childhood.

None of this justifies child labor. There are plenty of other rewarding opportunities that don't mean that children have to work dangerous meat-packing jobs.

Very importantly, there are plenty of paths that are not your path that were equally valid. (I'm telling you this from experience). Just because you did it that way doesn't mean everyone has to, or necessarily even should. Not saying the way you were raised was wrong, but we've learned a lot more about child-rearing. We don't have to pull out dunce caps just because people had associations with having to go through that in school.

[bko]

> Because there aren't real people on the internet who you can learn social skills from?

Ah yes, the famously well adjusted always online teens.

> Also, there's nothing that special about talking to adults that's that different from talking to teenagers... Basics of conversation are simple.

Have you ever listened to teenagers talk to each other? I honestly can't tell if you're trolling.

[xracy]

You're mistaking "there are real people on the internet" for "all people on the internet are great people."

I think teens are much better at sifting through the BS than you're giving them credit for. Also I've talked to plenty of teams who seemed perfectly well adjusted for their age. I'm not talking about them being the best conversationalists, I'm saying they have opportunities to learn. Also, are teachers not adults?

The basis for my argument is that school is sufficient for all of this. Nothing you've said has disproven that.