> Why do we feel the need to hard-code educational paths?
Because we have some idea of what the reliable paths to a stable career are. It's not a perfect understanding, but I'm confident that college is a better default choice than "found a startup."
> If someone coming out of high school would like to pursue a startup idea now and attend university after that, I don't see a problem with that.
Where are these high-school graduates going to get the money for a startup? "Found a startup" is an option chiefly for kids with connections to disposable wealth. Taking on real debt for such foolishness is an even worse idea than loading up on student loans to go to college.
Because we have some idea of what the reliable paths to a stable career are. It's not a perfect understanding, but I'm confident that college is a better default choice than "found a startup."
> If someone coming out of high school would like to pursue a startup idea now and attend university after that, I don't see a problem with that.
Where are these high-school graduates going to get the money for a startup? "Found a startup" is an option chiefly for kids with connections to disposable wealth. Taking on real debt for such foolishness is an even worse idea than loading up on student loans to go to college.