Preparing for what?

Why is there so much emphasis on taking specific classes in high school and passing certain tests? I'm talking about public school and traditional homeschooler's that do the same thing as schools.What is done in high school doesn't have much bearing on college or one's future. Who cares what classes you took as a teenager? If/when you go to college you take their entrance exam and then you take their classes.

I don't see the correlation of high school preparing one for college or better yet, real life. I think time would be much better spent following one's interests and learning about what is really important to them. Time should be spent thinking and exploring. Time spent alone or with others. Time spent working and earning their own money. Time spent to really figure out what they want to do with their life.

Nothing magic happens at 18 that suddenly makes you know what you want to do. What does happen at 18 is that society deems you an adult, period.

Some know what they want to do with their life from an early age and they pursue it. Many kids don't know, they are forced to pick a major and follow a career path. I did it, I had focused goals, but guess what? People change, plans change, life happens as you live it. What I had planned on way back when I was 18, never happened, my life took a complete turn in another direction.

So have some goals, make some loose plans because nothing is written in stone.

Why spend years taking classes when you won't remember most of it anyway? I do believe it's all just busywork to keep kids occupied until they are adults and the school system doesn't have to worry about them anymore.

They need to be doing real things in real life, not busywork in an artificial environment that will never be replicated in life.