By Tony Huppert, CEO of Team Oil Inc.

I have had numerous conversations regarding the education of our nation’s work force. Educators are constantly trying to convince me every student needs to go on to higher education, tech school or a university to be prepared for what life throws their way.

I beg to differ. A prime example is the minor who was placed on probation because he wasn’t held accountable for anything in his upbringing by his parents or society. He had 11 years of education, but still the court ruled and placed him on probation because lack of education on accountability for his actions.

With that train of thought, what good is more classroom education in his case? I have applicants with 10 plus years of education who haven’t swept a floor, cleaned a toilet or washed a dish. The only conversations I have with some leading politicians about this are, we have to offer higher education, more money for education and higher minimum wage.

Unless the educators figure out a way to teach the basics to prepare our future labor force, a lot of money spent on education is wasted on the administration and educators. If politicians believe that raising the minimum wage is the answer, all they have to do is look in the mirror to see the results of their own highly paid performance.

A strong foundation of the basics is more important than a politician’s fabrication of mirrored expectations of their own performance.