In defense of shadchanim, not that I’ve dealt with so many, they’re not so bad, though I had one disconcerting experience I won’t go into.
And yes, learning is what makes the world go round. (And dare I say, even the learning of working men from 5 – 9.) What we need is a climate of chanoch l’naar, and bachurim having someone they deal with on a personal level, instead of just hearing the herd shmooze. Please don’t think I’m knocking such a shmooze. We can’t afford to bash our gedolim, roshei yeshiva, etc. or to add to the cynicism. We have to be machshiv these people to the best of our abilities. But we also have to nurture and encourage our kids to have very personal relationships with good mentors, who will tell them what they need to hear.