Also, people who are paying for their own education tend to make much smarter decisions about it financially and take much better advantage of the learning opportunity.
My husband and I are the same age (He's one day younger than I am). His parents sent him to the University of Arizona right out of high school, and he proceeded to flunk out spectacularly. He had been accustomed to getting good grades in school without having to work very hard, and he didn't take his college coursework seriously enough. He had to drop back to community college for two years and work his way back into the UofA. He graduated with a dual major in journalism/creative writing and respectable grades but nothing to write home about, and promptly couldn't get a job in anything related to journalism. I had to show him how to parlay a degree in writing into "I'm an amazing employee in anything that requires communication".
I had to get a full-time job out of high school, along with part-time piecework and helping my mother take care of my dad, who was dying. I didn't have time for college, and I really didn't want to take on that kind of debt when we were already in a desperate situation. I eventually went to a trade school (because minimum wage sucks) that had a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum, passed all my coursework with perfect or near-perfect scores, and set a school record for completion speed. As time passed, I went to other trade schools to improve my career skills, always out-of-pocket and always at the head of the class. There was no way in Hell I was paying for anything less than being the best. By the time I eventually got to go to college - also paid from my own pocket - I made the Dean's List every semester. **** that "just getting by to say I have a degree" bullshit.
I don't know how old you are, but when I was younger, college was somewhat affordable. Today, kids get out of college with a 60K to 100K or more bill. It takes decades to support yourself, family and pay that off. I know one girl who majored in photography. Last I seen her which was many years ago, she was a receptionist at a television repair store. My nephews ex took up advertising. Until today she's processing loans at a bank. My niece graduated top of her class in biology. She's still waiting tables in Florida.
I think a lot of high school graduates have no idea WTF they want to be. Working for three or four years gives them time to meet other people, look at interesting lines of work, research the internet without being pressured to make a decision before college starts. The first step is looking at what skills are in demand, or better yet, high demand. Then setting your goals to get into such a career.