Exactly.
I didn't go to college. I saved my parents and/or myself about $100,000 (or more) and today I'm in the top 5% of earners and that includes people who went to college.
I'm not knocking college. I'm especially not knocking an education. Though I didn't go to college, I've been reading my entire life and I'm not talking Stephen King novels either. I'm currently halfway through Shelby Foote's "The Civil War" right now - a 2,800 page 3-volume set. I read about a hundred non fiction books a year.
It is a myth that you need to go to college to achieve an upper middle-class lifestyle or better. Now if you are going to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, okay, college is sort of a necessity. However, for the rest of us, start at any entry level job and work your way up. Companies are starved for talent and excelling at an entry-level job will get you noticed and put on a fast track for management. If not, you are working for the wrong company.