&gt; <i>Once you have a semester or two under your belt at university no employer really cares about a high-school diploma</i><p>This felt like a complete non-sequitur.  You were talking about education, and suddenly you switch to employment?  The purpose of an education is not to serve a boss.<p>These days, in this capitalist world, most of us do have to subject themselves to the will of an employer or another.  So we do have to look good to them.  Education as I understand it is supposed to help us <i>out</i> of this servitude, so we can be emancipated citizens and responsible adults.<p>Remember, an employee is not free.  Better off than a slave or a serf, but still not independent.