old school education

"...not the sort of rubbish they teach you in schools. That's the trouble with schools these days. All they care about is money and exam results. Churning out more investment bankers and certified accountants, as if the world needs any more of those. Take my advice. Education is something you'd best give yourself." (The Akhenaten Adventure/P.B Kerr)

There are a myriad of different ways for one to obtain an education. The most common way is through the stereotypical schooling process. Schools are chosen based on their policy regarding attendance in hope that this will scare the students into showing up for class. It's no wonder so many people avoid college- after being force fed information for 12 years why would anyone in their right mind pay (an exorbitant amount of money) to be put through all the writing and testing and possibly failing again?
I suppose part of it is a matter of survival, the need to make a decent living and support oneself in a comfortable manner. Some people do it for the prestige and the title (What are you up to these days? Oh me? I'm in school to become a Veterinarian. My house was a zoo anyways growing up so i figured if i could survive that then real animals would be a piece of cake. And my mom likes the sound of 'My son the doctor' so i have to stick it out- at least until she dies or something) There is a minority though, that goes forward because they believe they can make a difference. They have a driving passion propelling them forward to learn and soak up all the information that they can. But any specified degree won't necessarily improve your ability to think creatively, broaden your range of random knowledge, or expand your vocabulary (unless you count words like sterno-cleido-mastoid).
And yet, these are the best ways to contribute to conversations, sound intelligent, and nail a job interview. Rattling off quotes that twist people brains into Gordian knots, using words that cause your associate to whip out his iPhone to check up the definition and make sure you didn't just totally diss him, and winning the next argument with your nearest and dearest. The plan is to learn new words, "quotables", and delve beyond the surface until your brain hurts. Be prepared to give yourself the best education around.
Feel free to post your opinion below.