Okay, the title of this post is a little tongue-in-cheek. My caution is that going to a four-year college today is a risky business. Only ONE IN FOUR who matriculate, graduate and get a good job, and many students end up with debilitating debt.

However you (and your parents) have been brainwashed to believe that you will never get a decent job without a bachelor’s degree, and you will spend your life living in your parent’s basement or under a bridge in a cardboard box.

I’m writing this to tell you that’s just not true. There are lots of well paying jobs available without a bachelor’s degree. It’s frustrating. There are prospective employers who can’t find qualified candidates because all the young people are in college taking classes like “Zombies in Popular Media.”

You just have to resist rushing off to college like a lemming with your friends, and you have to get past the “not cool” factor. Many of you have been programmed to believe not going to college is well—gauche. Some of your friends will look at some of the careers I’m going to suggest with distain.

For example my plumber makes $100,000 a year. He’s almost always home to coach his girls’ soccer games. He goes to three or four NFL games every year. The family vacationed at Disney World last year.

Now ask your barista about her bachelor’s degree in psychology, and then try to figure out how many hours a week she works. (Multiply the number of hours she works by 468—52 weeks @ $9/hour—and you’ll know about how much she makes annually. Somewhere between $14-18K would be par for the course.)

If you are in doubt about attending a four-year college, or, if you don’t have enough money to pay for a four-year degree without a mountain of student loans, don’t despair. Consider these alternatives:

Community college

I’m a YUGE advocate for community college. In my opinion half the young people rushing off to four-year colleges (forty percent plus of high school graduates) would be much better off going to community college. Community college, unlike a four-year college, is low risk and low cost. It is still possible to work your way through community college. Pick a marketable certification, and you can get a better job in about eighteen months, going to school part time. (Now you are out of the minimum wage/part time job trap.) Layer that certification and get an even better job. Now find an employer with a tuition benefit and get your bachelor’s debt free. (I call this the bootstrap method.)

I live two miles from a community college. They have free (government grants) classes in a highly marketable certification. The class size is THREE—no interest.

Trade/vocational school

Millions of ageing blue-collar boomers are retiring. There are going to be plenty of opportunities for occupations like plumbers. My local community college had to drop their plumber certification—no interest. (Plumbers can’t be outsourced or replaced by AI.)

Technical school

In a technical school you’ll generally get more theory than in the hands-on vocational school.

Apprenticeship

Europe has a well established infrastructure for developing apprentices. Apprenticeships are harder to find in the US. Sometimes they are in community colleges. John Deere has an apprenticeship program run out of a community college.

Coding bootcamp

This option is a relative newcomer. There are some bootcamps claiming some pretty amazing results for placing their students in great jobs. Obviously not everyone has an aptitude for programming and the hours can be killer.

Military

This takes some planning. A Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of rifleman doesn’t translate well to civilian life, but there are MOS’s that can lead to very good jobs in the private sector.

On-the-job training

This takes some digging. My favorite example is ophthalmic technician. There are ophthalmologists who hire high school graduates and pay them as they learn and progress through a series of certifications. An ophthalmic medical technologist can make seventy grand. (Trust me. Most of your buddies going to college won’t make $70K.)

Entrepreneurship

Start your own business. (Some high schools have classes and/or clubs on this.) From accelerator programs and business incubators, to a growing list of local networking events, there’s no shortage of ways for well-established and aspiring entrepreneurs to connect and share knowledge.

Police, firefighter, first responder

Qualifications vary by state and municipality. Some jurisdictions will require previous college/community college training. You’re probably going to have to join a union. The beginning salaries aren’t great, but good benefits can offset that somewhat.

Other

If you can get a job at Starbucks, you’ll be eligible (there are some ground rules) for online classes from Arizona State University. Western Governors University provides a relatively low cost online degree for particular fields, e.g. teaching.

Depending on which alternative you choose, you may be able to get financial aid. Check it out and file your FAFSA. Be very careful taking out student loans.

I understand that not going to college is not cool, but earn a marketable credential and work hard. You’ll do better financially than most of the high school graduates who went the four-year college route, AND you won’t have crippling debt.

Here is a list of good jobs available without a bachelor’s degree.

No High School Diploma? No Problem: Here Are The Best Paying Jobs For You