Real work values the ability to write clear proposals and designs, which isn't far from an essay. Even in tech jobs. Sometimes I'm given a doc that takes so long to understand that it'd be better to just ask the author. There needs to be some way to teach writing skills, whether it's essays or something else.

My real gripe with English class is that probably 95% of my assignments have been about fictional work where I'm supposed to describe a character's emotions or explain what the author meant by something. And seemingly the most boring books possible. It was useless and repetitive.