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Education is a skill, the most important one
"... technology transforms the way almost every job is done...workers need new skills...our job growth will be found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology...All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered. ...we must ensure that older students and adults can gain the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest-growing occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training beyond the high school level. ...expand Advanced Placement programs in low-income schools, invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools. I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school. I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges, I do so, so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most new jobs. By all these actions, we will help more and more Americans to join in the growing prosperity of our country." [Lord Obama's State of the Union speech]

"...we must ensure that older students and adults can gain the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest-growing occupations require strong math and science preparation, and training beyond the high school level."
 
Toffler argues that society is undergoing an enormous structural change, a revolution from an industrial society to a "super-industrial society".
"No one knows where the new jobs are...you don't go to school anymore to prepare for a job - you need the skill of an education; to understand the world we live in.

You need to appreciate history, ethics, math & science, and most importantly be able to read with comprehension and to write effectively. What you do for a living will change many times over the duration of your life. To prepare for that change requires learning how to learn."
An education versus "a piece of paper"
How to master learning & studying
Set up a proper study area where you can be alone, without any distractions for hours on end (no music, no phones, no views from a window, etc.

• Chair/table height is critical to comfort so you can work for hours on end. The lighting is very important, as are book stands.

• Block out the days & hours you will study that add up to enough hours/week to earn a good grade.

Short, frequent review of lecture notes
• After class think about what the lecture was. Talk about it in your head to yourself. Review the lecture notes at breakfast, before going to bed at night. Just flip through the pages skimming and muttering "OK, yeah, yes, oh I need to remember that detail...OK, yes, uh, huh... - just 2-3 minutes twice a day.

The harder the subject the more I flipped though the lecture notes every day. Cramming never works! Short, frequent repetitions do! The material enters long term memory so effectively that I didn't have to study for mid terms and finals. You shouldn't! By the time a test comes up you should know the material so well you take the night off to get a good sleep.

Simple adherence to study skills took me from a "C" student to an "A" student. When you do that you enjoy learning and it gets easier. All the bad stressful part of school is from not studying and worrying all the time about tests. You can pass the tests but leave school without an education.
This page is from Wikipedia. Much has been written about studying that stresses the gimmicks, yet the most important aspect is repetition. Short daily repetitions of material reinforces long term memory.
How not to learn
Hang out at a "Study Center" with friends & classmates. The idea of a study group is often a silly reality - people in the group don't know how to study on their own.

Lighting
A combination of indirect and direct must be worked out to prevent glare. Position direct lights from over the shoulders to bounce glare away - not into - your eyes. Lighting is very important! You must be able to study for hours a week without eye strain.

Proper study desk & chair
To study without discomfort requires an adjustable chair height so that your arms are comfortable on the desk.
Your study area
A student has to have a quiet place with no distractions. The mind cannot learn if it is distracted with noise, interruptions, bad lighting, an uncomfortable chair, etc.

When you have the right study area set up and you maintain a study schedule it becomes easy and fun to learn. The brain is naturally curious, it wants to explore the subjects you need to master. In time this builds on itself in an associative manner. The fact is the more you know the easier it is to learn new things.
Studying? Or socializing? Study is done alone - just you, the book, and your notes. When you know the material then you can test yourself and others in a study group. Just make sure they are all "A" students in the group. There are also study groups for losers who don't want to learn the material - only learn the answers on the next test. Those people will be looking you up after college for a job.
How to study
I never knew a parent or child who knew anything about the skill of studying. They were always looking for a "quick fix" to fix a failing grade, when instead they should be learning how to study.
A study schedule
College requires 2-3 hours per unit of study for the average student to get an average grade. Science and math classes may require up to 5 hours per unit per week. EXAMPLE: 15 units of credit requires 30 to 45 hours of out of class study per week.

This is not a joke. One has to draw up a schedule with each day of the week showing the study hours blocked out. Once a student immerses him or herself in the learning process it is addictive-the brain enjoys learning.

"Friends" who try to distract you to go out for pizza, movies, etc. will one day come to you looking for jobs. Use your college years wisely to master your education; it is a lifelong asset.
The book stand
Sold at office supplies & bookstores. These are essential to study so your hands are free to take notes, and to keep the correct angle with your eyes. Never read from books laid flat on the desk.
The brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. No distractions means your study area has no pictures, no phones, no music, etc. Studying is done alone, it is quiet time spent reading, taking notes, reviewing notes from class - not talking on the cell phone, not listening to music, etc.
A bookstand maintains the proper angle with your eyes as you read down the page. Study with a notepad and pencil to make notes. Lighting should come from over your shoulders or at such an angle to direct glare away from your eyes.
Cramming for exams is dumb because you can't really learn that way, suffer from too much stress, and will not remember the material years later. Studies have shown that students earning an A in a subject had the best recall of the subject 10 years later.
Americans have become less educated than previous generations. In a race to "get a piece of paper" we have turned out millions of college graduates who only learned how to pass tests to "get the piece of paper." Once out in the job market employers find such people worthless. They can't read with proper comprehension, cannot write effectively, do not understand the world they are in.

Young workers have IPods, cell phones, and can play video games. But few have anything to offer other than the desire to receive a paycheck. Such statements are not reckless; they can be confirmed by many small business owners who have hired American employees. Theft, laziness, lack of skills, insufficient motivation, etc. are all too common. High tech firms have had to import foreign workers in scientific & technical fields under the H1B visa program.

Basic education is clearly at fault. Parents often task the school system with educating their children while disrespecting education at home. "Go to your room and do your homework" makes grade school education seem like punishment. "No video games until your finish your homework" similarly sends the wrong message.

Trying to tutor high school & community college students revealed the basic problems. Children had never been taught how to learn, and parents made studying a punishment. Not one student I ever tried to help knew how to study. They all wanted to "learn the answers" to pass tests that led to a grade so they could move on to something interesting in life. Instead, they failed to learn that life is made up of knowledge and that learning is a skill to acquire knowledge which is the true value of an education.

Parents and their children often believe that the point of an education is a degree. But in truth the value of education is the skill of learning itself. Yet I have heard children repeat what their parents said "You don't really need to learn Algebra - you'll never use that stuff anyway." In similar manner all math & science become an annoyance that has to be endured to graduate.

Grades are important. They are super important. Only B and C (and below) students say stupid things like "Grades don't really matter that much." Oh, really? Wait until you find you cannot get into graduate school, or law school, or medical school, or engineering school - because your grade average was only "B". After graduation the "A" students get the best jobs at the best companies. Getting a "C" average in engineering or law school is a great way to invalidate your years in college. Good luck finding a decent first job.
Studies prove that "A" students remember what they learned in a subject even when tested 10 years later. Not so with "C" students. Any "A" student can tell you that if you didn't earn an "A" in a class you failed it. The only passing grade is "A" because it is 90%. A "B" means you only learned 80%. Forget about "C" students.