Wildcard

In the movie they addressed 4 very different students with 4 very different backgrounds and compared their technology experiences in high school.  The skills that each of them obtained are very valuable in the workforce today, but some more than others.  The two students who went to Tech High School in California both ended up in very different situations after graduation.  In one sense, Tech High could have been beneficial, in the other it could have prevented opportunities.  Travis, who barely graduated from Tech High, decided to get a job right away in order to support his family, so how did Tech High benefit him?  I'm assuming a high school such as that costs more, yet now he is unable to further his tech education due to the fact that he needs to simply take whatever job he can and make money.  His training in a specific area of study is not a bad thing, yet how much of his technology education will he use in the basic workforce he is forced to enter?  

On the other hand, Kep (the valedictorian) earned a scholarship to CalTech, where he will go into engineering.  In his case, Tech High could have quite possibly given him the edge he needed to obtain that scholarship to a prestigious school over other students from regular schools.  I would assume a student who graduated from a Tech High School wold have an advantage over those from average high schools when applying to a school such as CalTech..yet he is missing out on certain clubs and activities that normal schools offer.  UW Madison is an excellent example of a univeristy looking for students with diverse backgrounds who were in a variety of activities within their school and their community.  I can't imagine there were that many diverse programs within Tech High.

Overall, in my opinion, my public high school provided the equipment and the teachers necessary for me to have an average if not somewhat competitive background in technology.  I know this is not the case for all schools, but I feel that my high school technology background was not as intense as Tech High, but the other skills I gained from the wide range of classes I took and the clubs I participated in, along with my average adequacy in technology, has definitely made me a well-rounded student who could hold her own in a variety of fields in the workforce, instead of one specific area (like the students in Tech High).  I believe that the ability to work in a variety of positions along with some technological competency will go a long way in the work force, no matter the state of the economy or what types of jobs are being offered.