Why we go to school?

For fun, not many. In reality, we expect something from school. We want qualifications and realistic know-how. Qualifications open the doors to professional communities and to work in that field earning a living. Realistic know-how helps us to do well the job.
 

That is all schools offer?
 

Schools also facilitate interpersonal relationships, building social capital which may one day help us overcome some difficulties or access to opportunities. Most of MBA programs emphasize this advantage.
 

But the most important of all, schools broaden our mind and soul to embrace the world of weirdness, of the unlimited possibilities, of the craziest endeavors of human being.  Schools, the teachers, the friends and the intricate interactions inside the wall catalyzes our mind to build a vision, a personal view about the universe and ourselves.
 

Then we might ask ourselves, what should I do with my life? Enter the profession, solve people’s problems and make money and live a nice life. Or venture into uncertain paths, following our heart and live to the fullest of our life. Some are lucky to find the converging way intersected by those two choices. Most of us do not. We’re struggling searching for the right choice. It seems difficult to understand ourselves.
 

Socrate’s advice: Know thyself.

How? You may ask. He also said, “To know yourself, think for yourself.”
 

I think this is hard. One of my students, preparing for IGCSE, said she does not want to learn. I asked her why? She said she does not know what to do in the future, why bother with learning.

What should I tell her as a teacher?