Is school/college harder than work?

A few days Ago I had a realization and I don´t want to think too much about it because is gonna drive me nuts , so here´s what I think , is the system (parents, society) preparing you too much  for a big war that is actually easier than the traning you do for it? not counting kindergarden/pre-school , you spend 5-6 years in elementary school , 5 years in high school and then 3-5 years in College (and that varies of course but all is about the same in most countries take it as a general estimate) . Homework and other assigments are almost not present in most lines of work you do for the career you choose . for what I´ve heard and seen people working has so much free time in their hands (not counting people with kids just having the regular responsibilites) I always hear "Oh what a day , but at least I can relax and play some games or whatever when I get home" , sometimes as a student you can´t say that because there´s always something you need to do, free time? Nope you can grab a book and study you got a test in a few weaks, you forgot about it? you can do it other day? sure but the teacher or someone else will be there to remind you that.
 
If I am focusing all my attention into doing just one single activity insted of more than one  ( math,  physic, logic, algebra etc) , I think it would be pretty easy to do it  right , Im not claming that performing X Job or work  is easy but the amount of time you are being prepared to do it is lets say and average of 16 years, is way too much not counting the amount of time you spend doing side stuff that have not value or actual pay-off as far as giving you the proper tools to perform at a certain job , sounds stupid to say "I don´t need to know this" but at some point you should only be concern with what you need to learn  instead of what you´re being taught.  So what do you say  am I completely wrong thinking this or is something else I don´t see.
/ / sorry for the long text or any grammar errors english is my "second language" and sometimes I miss the context of what Im trying to say in english.

Most real knowledge is gained on your own. The rest is really just for show nowadays. 

Depends how much you enjoy your work I suppose, If i had a job I enjoyed I would love work 

I see your point. My friend busts his ass for 10 hours pouring and breaking concrete, heavy duty labor. He gets off of work and calls me up to go to the pool hall or something, but I am constantly up till 11 or midnight just working on some assignment.

At first I was going to say your crazy, but shit, either you are flexing your muscles or your brain. However, traditional schools get summer and winter breaks. Workers just get holidays.

I guess it all comes down to what your job is and what your going to school for. A graphic designer might have an easier time than a student getting their doctrine, and a high schooler has a much easier time than an oil rigger.

Having a good job owns.  I get to hike in some of the most remote locations in the world and take a helicopter to work every morning.  In essence, highschool/college is the shittiest part of life.

I see your point. My friend busts his ass for 10 hours pouring and breaking concrete, heavy duty labor. He gets off of work and calls me up to go to the pool hall or something, but I am constantly up till 11 or midnight just working on some assignment.

At first I was going to say your crazy, but shit, either you are flexing your muscles or your brain. However, traditional schools get summer and winter breaks. Workers just get holidays.

I guess it all comes down to what your job is and what your going to school for. A graphic designer might have an easier time than a student getting their doctrine, and a high schooler has a much easier time than an oil rigger.

For me they're different kinds of hard. School was hard because I just wanted to have fun. Work is hard because I'm aware I've been living the same day for a very long time.

For me they're different kinds of hard. School was hard because I just wanted to have fun. Work is hard because I'm aware I've been living the same day for a very long time.

Well, the job is hard, but when you're the best there is at what you do, and what you do isn't very nice, there aren't many options.

Well, the job is hard, but when you're the best there is at what you do, and what you do isn't very nice, there aren't many options.

No, working is much harder if you're planning on having a job that is challenging and pays well. Think of it this way, in school if you mess up a test or project you'll get docked some on your grading. In the real world, you're still getting tested but there are real stakes in how you perform. For example, maybe you're leading a project that has $300,000.00 behind it and if you mess up that is a much bigger deal (may lose your job) than getting docked on a grade. Another thing to consider is you may have homework in school, but unless you are really diligent you are probably not coming close to 40 hours of solid work as a student. Yeah, you may sit in class in class 35 hours a week and do 6-10 hours of homework but that doesn't compare at all to working for a solid 40-50 hours a week. As a professional you have to be always "on". FWIW, my career is in web/graphic design and like a lot of other jobs you have to put in extra time to make sure that you're staying up with industry trends and keeping up with all of the software.

This has recently become apparent to me. Can't wait to get out of college so I can 'clock off' and work doesn't follow me home. And I get my weekends to myself without feeling guilty or being disadvantaged by taking them.

This has recently become apparent to me. Can't wait to get out of college so I can 'clock off' and work doesn't follow me home. And I get my weekends to myself without feeling guilty or being disadvantaged by taking them.

It depends on what you are doing, obviously, but being a student definitely has its benefits. Last year I was in Uni 3 days a week, lots of time for drinking and games.

School system is bullshit. That is all.

Growing up and getting on with people is the hard part. School is really about just developing yourself n finding out how the world works. Assignments n homework who gives a shit.

I'm glad I'm not in a network of like 600 other people now, BUT work is harder, dealing with bosses is harder, living on yr own money is harder, and basically everything else is harder.

But having friends is easier.

EDIT oh you're in college. WELL- Nevermind, I dunno! I didn't go to college.

@angeln7: I get pulled in to all sorts of things outside of my specific field, this can be different for everyone though. For example I have to manage people, come up with estimates, plus much of the coding that I do has a lot of math in it. I've even had to do some public speaking, you just never know what you'll be asked to do. Looking back at school, I don't think that the subject matters are really that important (or the actual skills that you learn). I'll agree with you there. The important thing is just pushing your brain to do different tasks even if you never end up using it, think of it like pushups for your brain. Pushing your mind in new ways will only make it stronger and develop a strong sense of concentration. That's what school is supposed to be doing. When I was in school, I would have agreed with you and I even coasted through much of it as I thought is was mostly bs. Reality ended up hitting me eventually though when I figured out how hard I needed to work to be successful and I had a lot of bad habits to break. I think you're also talking about motivation, which doesn't get any easier to deal with. I'm constantly getting new projects that I have no desire to do. However, as a professional you have to find a way to make yourself do work you don't want to do.

If you're a manager of someplace, there actually is homework, cause just like school, its a matter of deadlines and sometimes 8 hrs in the day just isn't long enough. If you're a sales person (or something like that), the night before some big sales presentation, I;m sure you're taking your own personal time to make sure you're ready.  
 
But then, there are the day laborers. Once that thing is built, moved, destroyed, etc. they don't have to worry about a damn thing. As soon as they clock out even if its not completely done, there's nothing more you can do anyway so why not grab a beer and relax.  
 
Things like working at a coffeh shop may be hard at first when you have to learn all the drinks and all, but eventually, its all in your head and your regular day is like some other laborer.  
 
With so many types and levels of school as well as jobs out there, there really is no clear answer. 

i thought from what i have they were both easyish. i have worked in maintenance for a building, mailroom (same place, just different departments)  i went to school came home worked on school worked and then i was done. when i worked, i didn't care what was going on the next day. it was pretty much the same day over and over. some places you don't have to worry about stuff.

Work is harder. School is intermingled with things like social interactions, friends, interesting teachers/professors, and fun assignments. It makes it less shitty. Work is just work, unless you enjoy your job. Most people don't though.

@TotalEklypse said:

Most real knowledge is gained on your own. The rest is really just for show nowadays.

This. Unless you're a doctor or lawyer, your education is mostly a certificate saying you're at least somewhat competent. (though even that is not guaranteed)

Oh kids thinking you can clock off once you've done your 'day' of work.

Anyone that isn't flipping burgers or doing basic data entry is going to have responsibility, and responsibility in your professional life means you will have too much to get done to be able to fit it into your work day, as no company ever hires enough people for the job.

If you ever want a position that pays well, be prepared for frequent 14 hour days and checking emails on your blackberry at 2 in the morning. Freelancing is no easier either, but at least in that regard you're usually being compensated for the extra time (or you're choosing to use that time yourself, depending on the style of freelancing).

 5 years in high school and then 3-5 years in Collage

Work is harder. School is intermingled with things like social interactions, friends, interesting teachers/professors, and fun assignments. It makes it less shitty. Work is just work, unless you enjoy your job. Most people don't though.

Oh kids thinking you can clock off once you've done your 'day' of work. Anyone that isn't flipping burgers or doing basic data entry is going to have responsibility, and responsibility in your professional life means you will have too much to get done to be able to fit it into your work day, as no company ever hires enough people for the job. If you ever want a position that pays well, be prepared for frequent 14 hour days and checking emails on your blackberry at 2 in the morning. Freelancing is no easier either, but at least in that regard you're usually being compensated for the extra time (or you're choosing to use that time yourself, depending on the style of freelancing).

Both usually require getting up early so they both suck in their own unique way.

Part of my job involves writing proposals for anywhere from $250 to $500,000 worth of work. Talking to a potential client and getting the proposal right can make the difference between keeping all of the employees I have right now and laying off 10+ people. When people get sent home, I'm the one who has to do it. I'd take any amount of school work over that if I got paid for it. And I'm tied to my email every evening until I go to bed, including on the weekends. Anyone who gets to a high-ish position in a real career has much more responsibility and work than they did in school.

As far as all the stuff you do in school is concerned, the point of education is to prepare you to be a functional adult. As a kid, most people don't really know what they want to do when they grow up. So schools expose every student to all kinds of different things. You may hate history, but the kid who grows up to be an historian loves it. Furthermore, you never know what you'll use in your career. I hated English, but it's a major part of my job and I'm sure glad that I was forced to take four years of it in high school and three in college.

Depends on what kind of school/work you have. They can both be cake, and they can both be hell... it's all what YOU make of it.

I think that School/College teaches you how to think, how to approach problems, how to analyse and reflect on things that happen to you, how to deal with frustration and Jobs are just down to whether you like it or not if you feel comfortable doing what you do or if you don't.. Because the amount of effort you put on things depends on much attention you put on it, which depends on if you like your job or not and how much passion do you put on it.

You think schools hard as a child but after a few years in the big wide world you would rather be at school.

school is hard because you lack the free time, even though you get school holidays, some of that time is taken up by assignments or home work. depending on your course, it might take your entire holiday. Work would be cool if you had a job you liked.. its also hard but thats due to bills and stuff bogging you down.. if you didnt have bills you'd  probably work less and just get the stuff that you want (the fucking dream)... 
 
damn..just thinking about it.. depressing..

Socially it's just like being in school/college. Well i suppose you can drop the school bully who beats people up but you still get people bitching behind others backs. Not much changed there.
 
The work itself is dependent on the job. I can say I've yet to use anything i learned in secondary school in my adult life. College has helped but not much frankly. Certainly not enough to warrent the years i spent there. Pretty much go through that crap so by the end of it an employer will give you an interview..cause they wont if your CV is lacking. Is it harder? Eh..i g uess? I find it much more rewarding though.

I'm a teacher, so this notion of being "off the clock" is completely foreign to me. Granted, my independent work is portable which certainly makes things a lot easier. I rarely work at home, opting to do most of my grading/planning/letter-to-the-editor-writing in a coffeeshop or on public transit.

  In essence, highschool/college is the shittiest part of life.

Only college kids say school is harder, it is pretty hilarious.

Man, I'm glad I've got my job and not the jobs that people above me have. Once it hits 5:30 I'm done with that shit till 8 the next day, very rarely I take a bit of work home but when I do it's normally just a bit of paperwork.

I found school and university rather tough because I'd rather do something than write about how I'd do it plus the temptation just to fuck it off and go to the pub is far greater.

You think schools hard as a child but after a few years in the big wide world you would rather be at school.

Yeah, every useful attribute is usually self taught

Yes. School/College is definitely harder. You can slack off at work and be ok, you can't slack off in school... lol

Yes. School/College is definitely harder. You can slack off at work and be ok, you can't slack off in school... lol

@xhavoc86 said:

Yes. School/College is definitely harder. You can slack off at work and be ok, you can't slack off in school... lol

Not if you're in the military, bud. I'm speaking from personal experience, so don't give me a bullshit answer.

I think you're also forgetting some of us who are full time students taking 12+ credits ( I take around 14) and work full time (avg 38-52 hours a week).  
So if you think you have no time as a student, try doing both. You have NO TIME AT ALL. 
 
EDIT: Also for what it's worth, given the choice, I'd much rather be in school. It's more of a personal choice; I love to learn/study new things. I find it rewarding. Conversely my work is just useless dribble where I deal with peoples problems and have managers tell me I'm not doing it good enough to make them more money. 

@makoto_mizuhara_sakamoto said:

@xhavoc86 said:

Yes. School/College is definitely harder. You can slack off at work and be ok, you can't slack off in school... lol

Not if you're in the military, bud. I'm speaking from personal experience, so don't give me a bullshit answer.

I'm speaking from my personal experience too bud.

Wish I had half-terms, Summer Holidays, two weeks off for Easter etc. at work.

Whether school or work is harder is going to be a question of how you apply yourself.  School is cake if you pick certain degrees and just want to graduate.  You may suffer for that choice later but it's easy in the meantime.  If you apply yourself and take on challenging courses it's an extraordinary amount of work. 
 
There's a lot of jobs that aren't necessarily fun but you can get by doing the minimum.  However, if you choose to apply in certain workplaces and push yourself it can be very demanding (but possibly rewarding). 

Having a good job owns.  I get to hike in some of the most remote locations in the world and take a helicopter to work every morning.  In essence, highschool/college is the shittiest part of life.