Forget about a college degrees. Spend maybe $5,000 to $7,000 to learn being a plumber, electrician or carpenter. These jobs are always in high demand because even if you demolish a building, you need these skills to remove plumbing pipes/fixtures and old electrical wiring before the building is demolished.
In 1982 I spent ~$2,100 to learn COBOL and IMS. My income went from $6.75 an hour to, by 2001, $125 an hour.
Ten month course. I have no college, other than a few months at Green River CC where I majored in pinball (1973)
BTW, its dropped since then due to the market and me moving from Seattle to KY, but still...
Three of my six kids went to college. All three got technical degrees. Accounting, Civil Engineering, Medical IT. All three make very good money now.
But one of my others did not go to college. He started his own business and makes more than the other three put together. A LOT more.
We have younger relatives, who hire guys with the above training and can't find enough skilled workers with good work habits.
The utility and tv/cable companies hire good people and seem to pay them a good wage and benefits. We see their trucks all over doing what they do. Comcast has had some of the same people for years.
Eric Hoffer:
In times of drastic change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.