>>12592366
Listen to what I am saying. Say you are a graduating high school student with a decent work ethic. Do you have a clear career plan in place where the degree you want applies, the money is guaranteed good after college, and it pays for the cost of college and then some?
If not, you may consider a trade as it will 1. have significantly less education costs 2. have significantly less risk as trades are eternally in demand until plumbing and electricity no longer exist (maybe never) 3. still make decent money
So yes, right, the best money is in professional degrees, engineering, and some other associated white collar work, but 80% of a college campus isn't doing those things, and 50% are in some stupid degree that isn't going to be worth the money you paid for it, so you need to weigh all your options, not toss around blanket judgements like "always go to college."
It depends on your ability, work ethic, goals, and planning.
Non college graduates are a way more mixed bag than college graduates, as I said, there are the unemployed, the welfare leeches, the deadbeats who settled for low end employment in retail/hospitality and McDonald's, and THEN the people who still got a marketable education in a fairly decent career path, you can't characterize the latter with all of the former as by definition those in college ARE pursuing work. There is almost no such thing as a college graduate falling back on welfare or unemployment and that affects the aggregate data.
Or don't listen to me, go rack up an enormous bill on a Special Education degree and make $30-40k the rest of your life while paying $700 a month in student loans.
I don't give a fuck, I'm a software engineer and make $100k. I've just experienced the process and realized that yes, college is overrated unless you know how to game the system.