jacobschndr said:
the question is why bother with post-high school education when theres jobs out there that pay just as well?
The job your in now, is it the top of your career path?
How does it compare to the tops of the career paths that require degrees?
Bottom line: Go to school for what you want to learn, not What pays more.
The best thing about blue collar job is some of them (handyman and stuff) are really resistant to the economic cycle. On the other hand, pick a wrong job and you're the first one out the door.
But like Danny Ocean says, it's about where you see yourself in the future. Jobs that requires a degree could get you a lot of places, although this is not guaranteed either.
I think ultimately, pride comes into play as well. The world tends to treat that guy walking down the street in a suit better than the ones in bowling shirt, even if in reality the suits is totally in debt, and the bowling shirt guy is loaded.
Money doesn't matter too much though. You'll have lots of legs up on the college guys by at least 7 or 8 years in income (college + repaying student loan), so invest, invest, invest!
Also, it's true that you do get a very different experience going to college. You are exposed to a lot more people. If you have the energy, taking some non-career related part time courses at uni (community college doesn't give nearly as much experience in this area as the big uni, where people from all over the world congregate) will make you a much more well-rounded person.