The issue of realistic skills not being taught as a mandatory, is truly a shame. As brought up in "Youth Lack Life Skills", yes, academics and college head-start classes are useful for post graduate fields and performances, in the light of "real life" the school system, "...fails to teach life skills that they will need for college and beyond", accurately hits the mark. While academics are great for the initial start in a life career and living ignorance-free, that doesn't automatically mean living smartly. It doesn't matter if one has a Master's Degree from a prestigious school if they cannot sustain themselves in everyday aspects. Cooking, changing a tire, and even sewing, are something needed to know for even the basic lifestyle. Without grasping those abilities, furthering anything else is practically useless. Life competence outweighs theoretical abilities. Acknowledgement to Brille Black to pointing out a crucial point.