I loved this post too! I'll represent the other side of the argument to Hive account@branlee87... I've always been great academically (well since year 10), I scored in the top 4% of the state graduating from high school. Got an academic scholarship to study in the USA (I'm from Aus) and then got into medical school on my first try.

Through this time probably 95% of what I've learned will never be used if I become a doctor... but I needed to know that 95% in order to build on it and understand what I will use. For example, I'll never need to know organic chemistry in order to treat a patient, but I did need to know it in order to understand the molecular basis of the pathophysiology that underlines their condition.

I think the real key here is passion... if you're not interested in learning there's no point forcing it! So much research has been done into how we should be educating children in open environments that promote questioning and exploration, but none of it's ever put into practice!

It's such a shame because now we've got such a scientifically illiterate population with such low ability to think critically that we're seeing a resurgence in things like anti-vaccine advocates and anti-GMO fear mongerors, based solely on ignorance.