More people should start at community colleges. There are tons of 2 year degrees to get students working (welding, nursing, natural resources, mechanic, etc) plus it is a great affordable way to get a bunch of classes towards a 4 year degree like engineering. Then they can transfer to a 4 year school if they like it. Even if someone doesn't want a degree, it could be well worth their time to take a couple writing classes, or accounting, technical writing courses. Education is not just the piece of paper at the end. It's the knowledge you gain. Someone could take a couple writing or poetry classes to become a better writer and that would still be extremely valuable without getting a degree. Where students make a mistake is jumping into an expensive 4 year university before they even know what they want to do.