There are perfectly good things for systematic roblem solving. Thee Gilbreths and their time oreinted effeciency work would be a good example. At work, I keep a clock in front of me, and keep track of how long it takes to do tasks, and retrain myself in different ways, until I find one that is quickest. Just like a racetrack, if you set yourself up for exit out of the parts bin to be machined, you may bei nthe wrong orientation to quicklyput it in the CNC machine's pallet, and are loosing time there. Several ways to do this, go back to the previous job o the parts, sit there, do it, come u pwith a way that puts the parts into the bin how i want thme ouut of the bin, and make that way faster then the old way, then, i ahve parts arriving how I need them to gofaster - OR, change how I take parts out of the bin. (I often do the 1st a we are fairly fluid at work, I'm not jut stuck on one job, although I do the one no one elses like as I love it, manualy intensive machining, i pretend the parts a racetrack and see how well I can get everything right - and fast).
There is also a lot of room for unstructured thinking, some of my ideas come from there as well. I've found as I've grown older, i've started putting both to use. I used to be more on the imaginitive then practical. Now I can work in either, but I've sacrificed some of the imagintive for the practical, I can tell that. I miss it. But my end results now are perhaps just as good, but often more practical.
Its fun to desing body work that would be impoosible to make work for pratical reasons, even better when I design a chassis I can go out, build, fit RC car componets to, and run.
Such as this little guy, which combined both. RC mosnter truck wheels, with independant raicng suspension and low CG chassis, twin eletric motors for more torque, 2spd, 4wd, etc... Very light for an eeltric race truck, only 9lb's with body as pictured. Most Race E's are 10-11lb's.
here's a few clips of me drivnig it like an Idiot, on the track its a much calmer slower steadier win the race style.
http://www.tervurendog.com/truck.wmv
Colledges are aimed more for specializiation. IF you have trouble with a colledge's specialties, then just either don't attend colledge at all, or find one you like.
We need a variety of people in this world, can't all be the same you know. As such, I don't realy see the purpose of the orignal rant.