[Sir Michael]

Cloudy - we apparently know different lawyers. The ones I know make 6 figures. I even know paralegals that make 60K plus. Imagine how much their bosses make.

You're right, though. I'm becoming a teacher knowing full well that I "am taking a vow of poverty" as they say. I've realized that at this point in my life, having a stable career I can count on and a job I like are much more important than money.

Jabidas - education in America doesn't suck. It's been shown that when you compare reading, writing, math and science scores of American students with those of other countries we are all about equivalent. Besides, we are the leading industrial and economic power in the world, and everyone wants to come here. Why? Because this is the land of opportunity. People know that based on their own initiative and work ethic they can achieve anything they want.

High school is a good preparation for college, but perhaps we don't have to cram as much into it as other countries do. Why? Because in the US anyone can go to college. In most other countries it is only a select few, the best of the best.

One more thing...what is "maths"? Is that a non-US thing? Here, we just say "math". As in, "I am studying math." You could also say "I am studying mathematics," though.