I think you're painting all of writers with a single brush. I just can't imagine that a good understanding of the basics (which can be taught out of school, but should always be taught in school) doesn't help most people in their art. And we know that not all people learn the same way.
I didn't go to journalism school. I don't even have a degree. (I dropped out of CompSci.) But I did work in news for five years (I pointed that out in another post. I know, it's starting to sound smarmy. Sorry.), and the vast majority of people did go to school for journalism.
I disagree with the general tone of your post. I regret not going to school for this. I think it would've made me an even more capable writer than I am now. That said, I do think that a slim majority of people I've met who did attend aren't great writers. As a TV news producer I spent a fair amount of time editing others' work and working with my reporters to help them better communicate what they mean. I often felt that some of the things we talked about were not only things probably covered in college, but some were definitely covered in grade school. I met an adult (well, a 22yo, which I consider an adult,) who had trouble with their/there/they're.
At least one person actually stopped seeking input from me after they found out I didn't attend school in the field.
And then I've met a few people, who also attended college, who could write circles around, well, any other people I've ever met. On in particular credits his school, and a couple of professors and friends he met there. He has no trouble being published when he takes the time to write something, but just prefers being on TV.
I think that some students better know how to take advantage of what schools provide, and that some schools, in their current form, aren't teaching. Both allude to problems that need to be addressed, but neither suggests to me that schools are completely worthless. Instead it says to me that some schools are really ineffective for the students they haveand that should be addressed, and we need to try to make sure all students know how to utilize the resources available to them.
That said, I think your second section is dead on. We do need to be better about encouraging people to tackle fields that interest them. School shouldn't be some thing that people feel labored by. I think that's why so many are ineffective, not proof they can't work.
I didn't go to journalism school. I don't even have a degree. (I dropped out of CompSci.) But I did work in news for five years (I pointed that out in another post. I know, it's starting to sound smarmy. Sorry.), and the vast majority of people did go to school for journalism.
I disagree with the general tone of your post. I regret not going to school for this. I think it would've made me an even more capable writer than I am now. That said, I do think that a slim majority of people I've met who did attend aren't great writers. As a TV news producer I spent a fair amount of time editing others' work and working with my reporters to help them better communicate what they mean. I often felt that some of the things we talked about were not only things probably covered in college, but some were definitely covered in grade school. I met an adult (well, a 22yo, which I consider an adult,) who had trouble with their/there/they're.
At least one person actually stopped seeking input from me after they found out I didn't attend school in the field.
And then I've met a few people, who also attended college, who could write circles around, well, any other people I've ever met. On in particular credits his school, and a couple of professors and friends he met there. He has no trouble being published when he takes the time to write something, but just prefers being on TV.
I think that some students better know how to take advantage of what schools provide, and that some schools, in their current form, aren't teaching. Both allude to problems that need to be addressed, but neither suggests to me that schools are completely worthless. Instead it says to me that some schools are really ineffective for the students they haveand that should be addressed, and we need to try to make sure all students know how to utilize the resources available to them.
That said, I think your second section is dead on. We do need to be better about encouraging people to tackle fields that interest them. School shouldn't be some thing that people feel labored by. I think that's why so many are ineffective, not proof they can't work.