Working on the floor of a skyscraper going up, getting natural gas out of the ground, and installing kitchens and bathrooms for five years gives you experience that has an immediate monetary value, and skills you can use as long as you are physically able. I don't care what the job is, you don't really have the skill until you have been paid to do it, so a diploma is just a piece of paper. In college you sit in a classroom for another five years on top of the 12 previous ones, except this time you are hungover and the teachers are slightly better educated. Your social set is the same age, just like in high school. One thing that can be said for college over the job site is that there are a lot of girls around to focus on. And every day you spend studying for some paper based exam on a subject you will never think of again costs you a huge amount of money that you haven't even gotten the job to make yet, and the college doesn't guarantee you one.