Thanks, but no brains

Education is a very loaded topic and I am taking my time with any comments; it's a can of worms but I do have a few questions.  Education is good, more is better, but is the current discussion considering only formal education?  I'm curious as to what should be considered the minimally viable level of education in society and how it relates to the realities of the workplace.  I suspect that there are many students in college who are only there because it is expected of them and it is a stalling tactic to avoid entry into the dreaded world of the adult working stiff.  Are students realistic in their expectations or do they really believe that their Master's Degree in Gender Studies will lead to a lucrative and long-lived career?

Then there's the status thing, the Ivy League piece of paper is superior to the piece of paper from Montana State, unless you were studying mining.  And how much of it really matters?  A lot of employers require a college degree, any degree; they don't care.  The degree shows that you are trainable or at least able to learn what is necessary and have a certain level of social skills.  Would comprehensive aptitude tests be a better indicator of an employee's potential?  But thinking about education is just making me more stupid.  I don't think we ever outgrow the ability to learn, it's just a question of what we learn and how we apply it.

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You guys and your army.

Hey, it's common ground and the differences in experience are interesting, it's like there was a big generation gap.  I was wrong, though, about my use of the term "commander of the relief."  I meant Sergeant of the Guard, as Mr. Beagles mentioned.  After nearly fifty years some facts can slip through the cracks.

One thing I could never figure out about guard duty is that you were issued weapons, but never any ammo.  I felt like a badass with that .45 automatic on my hip but I had no idea how to operate it; it was just for show.  What was I supposed to do with it, smack somebody on the head?  It may have been different in Berlin.

All that trivial shit was really important, like marching around in the armory and polishing your brass and spit shining your shoes.

In retrospect, I think it was important.  If you're not capable of taking care of the simple stuff how can you take care of the big, complex stuff?   And in dicey combat situations you have to turn off your brain and simply follow orders; thinking too much can get you (and your buddies) killed.  Mental discipline is a much greater hurdle than physical discipline, or so I've read.  My experience was a piece of cake, only a little more demanding than the Peace Corps.  A guy I knew was in the Peace Corps and he had to eat monkey brains.  Give me SOS, any day.