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Notes -
It is true in the sense that people organically want to make money, and want to master what will make them the most money, and the most visible needs of society are (often) financially rewarded when supplied. I would also say that the right kind of training can make someone enjoy otherwise boring work — there are people who can make excel exciting, for instance. And then I would make a separate point that the education of youth should involve reality: the reality of one’s capabilities, the reality of which jobs will fit them, and the reality of what one is expected to earn according to their performance. Current educational models divorce the youth from reality whereas simply eliminating education altogether (though not my proposal) would immediately make reality salient. A 10-year-old working at the mall instead of studying at school sounds awful, doesn’t it? And yet that entire time he is learning the reality of life, that work and money are requirements and that skill and performance matter. When exactly does a kid saliently learn that in school? A 45-min documentary their substitute English teacher plays? That’s not “I am working six hours stocking a shelf” levels of salience and realization and motivation. But that point is an aside and not my proposal, but we should find a way to deeply persuade the youth about reality by the age of 10.
If I can predict your point, it’s that a kid who ought to be trained as a construction worker will opt to attend a school specializing in programming because of the possibility of higher wages. But I think you can persuade the parents + the child that this is not in their interest because reality says it is unlikely, in the same way you can persuade people not to gamble. Note that, if the quality of life for construction workers rises because they get to work earlier in life and are less stressed, then the looming threat of working blue collar is no longer a threat, it’s just a different choice. You will still make money and start a family, etc. I think also just taking money from the super-wealthy and giving it to the employed lower classes is also a great idea which would propel efficiency for a similar reason, that people will opt into specializing in this work because it’s not “the end of the world” being employed there. Classism and over-competition actually winds up reducing efficiency as people opt into chasing the prospect of higher wages when they are better fitted for lower wage professions. But that’s a totally different topic.
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