I know an independent software developer who says his kids are going to learn to program and configure servers at the earliest possible age. He doesn't care if they pursue programming as a career later on, helping him with tech jobs will be just another one of their chores; like taking out the trash or mowing the lawn.
I think he's on to something as far as spotting what modern "chores" should be. And the kids will probably benefit from knowing they are doing something skilled that actually benefits their family.
I tend to agree with both this post and the linked pg essay, which I just read for the first time.
I do have a qualm with something pg says in the essay though. He says that the cause of this situation is specialization and the increased time required for training, but at the same time he says that little to no real teaching is going on in schools. If specialization requires increased training, which requires increased time in schools, then how can we be achieving specialization without actually teaching anything during this extended time in schools? Surely the time itself does not make us capable of specialization.
Your first if statment = false. Most specialization doesn't require increased training. You're thinking of brain surgeons when most specialization means operating a cash register or pushing a button on an assembly line. Therefore most specialization doesn't need increased training but a numbing of ambition.
This is one of the reasons I'm planning to home-school my children: encouraging them to do real work as early as possible. 13+ years of fake, unimportant projects is a very efficient way to generate apathy.
Recommended Reading: John Taylor Gatto's Underground History of American Education (http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/toc1.htm) Interesting tidbit from Chapter 1: Admiral David Farragut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut) entered the US Navy at the age of 9, and received his first command when he was 12 years old. Kids are capable of far more than we currently give them credit for.
I think he's on to something as far as spotting what modern "chores" should be. And the kids will probably benefit from knowing they are doing something skilled that actually benefits their family.