I hear what you're saying but you have to put a little more thought into this beyond "you pay for what you get". A lot of professions still need specialization but do not offer commensurate remuneration with respect to cost of entry. I'll give you some examples:

• Teachers
• Historians
• Social workers
• Architects

I could go on. It's a long list. The world still needs teachers and social workers, but we are far from adequately compensating for these industries. When you adopt a utilitarian approach to education (as a pipeline that leads directly to a career track) you are limiting the potential of the nation to improve/grow. A humanist approach to education promotes a more universal type of growth where we can foster the best talent towards achieving their full potential. Otherwise we end up with a situation in which the humanities and arts are segregated exclusively for the affluent members of society because the cost of entry is high but the output is low.