I'm fine with a few friends (who I also interact with solely remotely as they live a few hundred miles from me), working remotely and just seeing my wife daily. I love it and have never been happier with a job or my living situation.
As with anything. YMMV. I've never been an ambitious person though, and my job to me is just a 'do what is needed, and no more' type of thing. I'm never out there trying to network or dig up leads on new opportunities either though, so if I wanted to do those things or were more ambitious I guess I could see the appeal of going into the office.
We (my wife and I) do get out quite a bit though, although we're eachother's best friend so we're not out socializing with out couples in our off time (thankfully).
Dude, spot on comment. Seriously. I've commented elsewhere in the thread that the 'education for all' theory, while very good and worth pursuing for those interested, actually has a subtext: "Education for all (who are able to be educated)"
There's an oft-spoken of solution to this: more education. There's also a hidden requirement of that solution, that is namely that the person wants or is able to be educated.
The 'inclusion' narrative is something to be lauded for sure, but people are good at different things -- if someone is just plain not capable of being an engineer or doing whatever other white collar job du jour, what then?
What if they can't manage a vocational skill either? What if they can, but don't make the effort? Then what?
Tommy: "Why do you fuck with people when it serves no purpose?"
Tatiana Petrovna: "In Russia, because we were bored. In England, because we don't know how to stop."
Knowing a group of Russians (and calling them friends), this quote seemed so apt.