said by Exodus:It is extremely difficult to just make blanket statements that has one-size-fits-all. You have to take into consideration that the person you're giving advice to has to be motivated enough to actually get themselves in the field.
I think some people forget that most important part. Many people don't even want to put in the effort to get to where we are.
You are 100% correct on this statement for sure.
As for college, there is nothing wrong with it. I worked my way through college and graduated with 2k in student loan debt. That took 2 years of working as a Resident Advisor in the residence halls where I could get free room and board for doing the job. Then 2 internships on top of that in the summers. Then a part time job where I would work 20 hours a week in the computer labs. With the RA job that took me to about 40 hours a week and I was going to school full time as well.
College was much more affordable back then. Today, there are many junior level colleges that are much more affordable and many offer scholarships. If I couldn't make it like I did before, I would have went to work full time and found an employer who would pay for my schooling.
The college degree really is a major factor in earning potential. I would never skip out on it.