What Is the Purpose of Education?

What Is the Purpose of Education?
The idea of ‘work’ is present in most modern educational discussion almost entirely under the terms ‘career readiness.’
This itself is an interesting failure, as it implies that the purpose of schooling is to prepare a person for ‘a job.’ And to many, this is head-slapping obvious, following the familiar pattern of going to school, getting a job, and paying the rent. What we call ‘being an adult.’
On a practical level, this is true; life is about survival, and survival requires work. But if we zoom in a bit, we can quickly see moving parts that hint that it’s not so simple.
See also The Characteristics Of A Good School