Things have certainly changed in the 40 years since I graduated from college. In the 70s it was still very important to have a college degree. Upon graduation from high school I had scholarships to use or lose, so I used them. I enjoyed music and German, so I ended up with an education degree in those subjects. But I didn't enjoy teaching! Rather, I enjoyed teaching, but did not have the correct personality to deal with a room full of children who really didn't want to learn anything. I had not been that kind of student, and I was appalled to see how indifferent most of them were. I quit teaching after I got married, but later I home schooled our children. It was quite amusing to find out how many anti-home school people were relieved to find out I had an education degree; what I had learned in college had very little to do with teaching my children at home. But, as you said, college is not as necessary now: One of my adult children has 2 degrees from a community college, one is a licensed massage therapist, and the other is a phlebotomist. They all hold perfectly good jobs and are productive members of society.