We do NOT urge our son not to go to college. We urge him to live in the real world...a world where wealth is made and jobs created by people who start their own businesses. Our son wants to go to Yale, and wants to pay for it himself--in cash. Can he do it? I've no idea. But having made over $9,000 for himself since he was 6, baking cookies, selling spiced cider and mini-cakes at holiday festivals, selling candy, caring for special needs children--has given him great confidence in his own abilities. Something I never had at his age.
Well, I applaud you. It seems like most of these people who are knocking your honest opinion here, and your great parenting skill, are like the “Poor Dad” in the “Rich Dad Poor Dad” book. There is nothing wrong with college, either for learning for its own sake, or for preparing for a serious career that needs it. But we need to take a step back and not fall into expected paths just to get a star on our sons’ bellies like Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches.