The reprogramming of one's political system didn't happen at my school that I was aware of. It might have had something to do with the fact that my major was in Construction Management and as you might imagine there's not a lot of liberal-minded people or at least if they are they keep it to themselves in that field.
I'm not a fan of formalized education because I believe it is intentionally overpriced and puts a lot of people in harsh debt. Trade school is cheap and probably more useful and practical. It still has a stigma of being for "Stupid people" and I hate that this is the case.
RE: The first jobs I ever had: Lawnmowing, and I had it for years