Friend, do you also think: the things we learned in school, like math, physics, chemistry, literature, history, and philosophy, seem useless once we graduate?

Instead, social skills and the ability to make money are not taught at all, and when you enter society, you’re caught off guard—so what was the point of school? Is classroom knowledge just wasted effort?

Don’t worry, let me share a pretty practical perspective with you.

Actually, learning is sequential. It’s like building a house—you can’t say the foundation is useless just because the roof leaks.
What school teaches is that foundation.
For example, Chinese class trains you to understand others’ subtext and to clearly express your own ideas—you might think social skills depend on “knowing how to get along,” but the first step is “understanding what’s being said and communicating clearly.” Math class trains your logic and calculation skills—aren’t the basics of making money just calculating costs and risks? If you can’t do the math, how can you earn?
History and politics, in essence, teach you to understand how human nature and interests intertwine.

So, if the foundation isn’t solid, jumping straight into “getting things done” or “making money” can easily go awry—maybe you learn to flatter but can’t understand contracts; you learn to speculate but can’t calculate long-term returns. That’s even more costly.

What truly helps us stand firm in society is the second layer—“professional skills,” the real craft you rely on to make a living.
And this is exactly the part that school teaches the least about and is most undervalued.

Let me ask you: you say social skills and making money are important, but if you don’t have a decent professional skill, how can you exchange value with others? Why would others want to work with you?
The point of professional skills is: you need to have a good hammer in your hand to open someone’s door.
Whether it’s programming, accounting, design, sales, auto repair, cooking, or self-taught marketing, management, copywriting—these are the things you can confidently show off.
With these, you have the confidence to negotiate cooperation and prices. Without them, your so-called “social skills” just become groveling and fawning.

And have you noticed—many money-making opportunities actually come from your professional skills.
Because you understand this industry, you know where the pain points are, and how to help others solve problems. Isn’t that the essence of making money?

Of course, there’s also a third layer—like philosophy and art, the “useless” stuff.
They don’t teach you how to make money, but they help you carry burdens—like when you’re unlucky, cheated, or lose money, these things help you not to collapse, and help you understand “why am I really alive.”
This is also very important, but not everyone can focus on it from the start.

So my conclusion is very simple: don’t look down on the foundation that school builds, but don’t just stay on the foundation either.
After laying a solid foundation, you should quickly learn a hardcore professional skill, practice it thoroughly and master it.
Then, on this basis, go learn social skills and how to make money. Don’t reverse the order—first have the ability, then talk about social skills; first stand firm, then think about running.

You ask me, “What kind of knowledge is useful?”

1. Foundation knowledge (Chinese, Math, English, History, Geography, Politics): makes you less likely to be deceived and helps you learn anything faster.
2. Professional skills (your craft for earning a living): makes you able to earn independently and provides capital for exchange.
3. Social and financial intelligence (the courses schools lack): helps you sell your skills at good prices and manage relationships well.
4. Meaningful studies (philosophy, art, etc.): helps you stay fulfilled after making money and keeps you from collapsing when you have none.

Which one do you think can be skipped?
So, stop worrying about whether “school teaches useful stuff” or not. It’s useful, but not enough.
After you step out of school, you need to take matters into your own hands and seriously develop that most important part—your professional skills.
That’s the real key to living a good life.