A high school graduate would be much better off going to a technical school for a year and learning a trade. Then they could earn their own way through college. Or they could continue with their trade, which would earn them a lot more money than a liberal arts degree.
I have known a few erstwhile attorneys,teachers...
Who worked in the trades.
Most were Irish and their fathers were tradesmen who insisted they pick up the family trade.
My best friend was a teacher circa 1968-1974, who became tired of driving a cab every night so he went work with his father.