Max, tertiary education is a system, not a guaranteed path to knowledge.

No argument here. My decision to leave the formal education system at the end of 5th form, while provoking much hand-wringing from well-meaning teachers and principals, was a life choice, not a criticism of tertiary education. I simply had other things I wanted to do with my life . The sort of avenues I would have trod had I entered the land of dreaming spires would not have been particularly practical from a career-enhancement perspective anyhow. I do not regret not attending a tertiary institute, nor do I feel any need to be defensive about my choice, as odd as it seems to many people.