Most career choices demand vocational skills or specialist knowledge. However, despite this, most schools still teach academic subjects such as history or social studies. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Although

a variety of educational courses taught at school, including social science subjects, is thought by some to be a great source of useful knowledge for in-school teenagers, other people consider that providing young people with solely sophisticated, practical skills will help them prepare for future careers more efficiently. In-school teenagers can learn lessons and gain insights from learning social science but there are

also

drawbacks to be taken into consideration.

Firstly

, one benefit of schoolchildren studying social subjects is that they will learn valuable lessons from history. Not only will schoolchildren learn not to make stupid mistakes that have been demonstrated in history, but they can

also

enhance decision-making techniques in the long run.

Furthermore

, the study of social science is advantageous because in-school teenagers might find their true interests while studying, and eventually lead to a satisfying, self-fulfilling career path. Zhongshu Qian, a well-known Chinese writer and historian,

for example

, realized his passion for writing when he pursued a degree in history in Great Britain, and later devoted himself to writing historical novels throughout his life.

On the other hand

, one problem when educational institutions offer an academic curriculum is that it potentially takes too much time that could

otherwise

be utilized in developing practical skills or more sophisticated knowledge. If a student has determined her mind to become a soccer player, the more practice he put into physical training, the more advanced level of soccer playing he will have. In

this

circumstance, there is no doubt that a focus on academic courses provides little assistance to benefit his career. Another possible issue is that scholars with poor academic performance might be less confident to take the

first

steps in finding jobs. After all, academic performance is not the only indicator to predict the future success of students, and those whose academic grades are low might find themselves much better at learning vocational skills. In conclusion, while students can benefit from learning a variety of academic subjects, it can

also

lead to inefficient use of time or issues with self-confidence.