Avi > so we should not do anything but learn Torah? Bury our heads in the sand and live by shnorring?
I think you are confounding several issues here:
1) studying professions to get a job. This might be a problem when it involves emerging in a secular culture. Seems to be less of a problem now, with Jewish colleges, night colleges, online education, CLEPS. There is a mitzva to teach a kid Torah and to teach him a job or a business so that he does not join listim. So, this seems to apply universally to everyone who is not independently wealthy.
2) studying science per se. I don’t think this ever was a problem. Tannaim were doing it, Rambam was doing it. Does not mean that everyone should be doing it, though.