[HPforGrownups] What's the point of Hogwarts?

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 127663


I was wondering what Harry etc are supposed to do when they 
leave Hogwarts? I know some careers are mentioned, but 
they're vague or general, and as far as I can tell, the curriculum 
at Hogwarts doesn't cater for any genuine ones. As I see it, the 
students either go back to the muggle world where magic is 
strictly controlled or forbidden and so they therefore have no 
useful qualifications at all, or they go into the 'parallel' world 
where all the countless other witches and wizards live (wherever 
that is), to make a living doing what, exactly? All they learn at 
Hogwarts are party tricks, eg say a latin word and turn one thing 
into something else, or levitate something, or make a peculiar 
potion, and so on. That's all very clever, but what's the point? 

In the muggle world that would mean they could set up a 
phenomenally profitable manufacturing business where they 
cast spells to turn rubbish into something valuable to flog to 
muggles, or perhaps run highly efficient removal services by 
levitating heavy objects to nearby dumps... but isn't that kind 
of thing forbidden? So in the wizard world there would be 
thousands of students every year all with the same general 
knowledge of magic that's hardly going to set them up in a 
career. After all, if you have so much magic at your fingertips, 
why would you need to go on and study a dull university subject 
and then get a mundane career?

So my question is how do they make a living in the adult world, 
bearing in my they've spent seven years at The Paul Daniels 
Academy learning to do little more than entertain kids at parties. 
I fail to see how JKR's generations of Hogwartians have anything 
useful in their CV's or have anywhere to go once their time has 
been served at school. Or did I miss JKR's sentence where it's 
either explained or dismissed?

And would a University in the muggle world accept someone with a string of "A Grades" in their OWLs etc? I think not, because 
the cover would be blown on the wizard world if such 
qualifications were ever presented to a board. So whatever 
qualifications the kids get, their career options are somewaht 
limited, surely?

And while I'm being confused, do wizards/witches etc actually 
live alongside muggles? I'm sure one or two are mentioned. If so, 
why would they ever want to live there? They can't use magic in 
front of muggles, so why go to a school to learn about magic if 
it has to be hidden away from the 'others' for the rest of your 
life? And if they don't live next door to muggles, and perhaps get 
to live in some huge parallel secret world which is only accessible via hidden doorways and magical brick walls, why do they have to 
go to a real train station to get to the magical station and catch 
the Hogwarts Express? Surely it would all be part of the hidden 
wizard world?

I wish JKR would make her 'thinking' a bit clearer at times. Or 
maybe it's just me having one of those 'what problem?'moments far 
too early in the morning? Any great revelations would be 
gratefully received, I think!
Sherry now

We know from OOTP, that to become an auror, harry would have to undergo three more years of intensive and specialized training.  I assume it's the same for other careers in the wizarding world.  I associate hogwarts with middle school through high school, and then the students go on to other training for careers.  Or they do things like drive the knight bus, which probably doesn't need post Hogwarts training.  

Sherry