Edit: Practical people who hated high-school go for professions in the trade skills sector
That is the route I took for several years.
When I decided to go to college, I wanted to go into law, my first choice was becoming a legal assistant. After I got into the legal assistant program and found what the pay scale was, I did not know whether to laugh or cry.
I was supposed to get a 4 year degree to make less then I was making in a welding shop? Lets see, 4 years of college, closer to 6 - 8 years since I was going at night, and tons of debt, just to make less money then I was already making? No thank you.
I changed my major and went into computers.
One thing about the trade sector, once you get a decade of experience behind you, you can find work just about anywhere.
A couple of weeks ago while gassing up the SUV, my wife spotted a lady my wife knows. After talking for a few minutes the lady said she worked for a local welding shop. She then went on to tell my wife and I how much trouble the company was having finding people with experience. When I told the lady I had 15 years experience, she offered me a job right there on the spot.
Having real life marketable skills that you can put a physical value on makes your chances of finding employment a little easier.
Too many students assume that if they go to college and graduate, that entitles them to a good job. Too many teachers/guidance counselors, etc., affirm this belief.
Coming from the trade sector to a computer sector, I see a lot of people who "think" the skills (or knowledge) they learn in college is valuable.
Working in the welding field, I built stuff that sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The refineries that bought the parts made stuff with the parts I built. You can take that pressure vessel or heat exchanger and put a physical value on it.
Someone with a junk degree, what are they going to produce that someone will buy? And what is the "real" value of what the person produces?
To make money you either need to produce a product, or provide a service.
Who are you going to produce the product for?
Who are you going to sell the product to?
Who are you going to provide the service to?
What is the "real" value of the product or service you produce or provide?