That's exactly right. When I got out of the Marine Corps, I had a choice. Go to a four-year college and go back to living with my parents in the meantime or acquire a skill fast and get out into the workforce to make some money. So what I did was get a job and then went to night school learning a trade (electronics and computer repair). My daytime employer reimbursed 80% of it and my military college benefit (VEAP) covered the rest. Within two years, I had my certifications and was making as much as any college graduate with zero debt in student loans.
A college education is a good thing and I did end up taking college courses at night and cobbled together enough credits for a business degree which got me on the management track. But my advice to young people today is to only go to college if you are going to learn a profession, such as engineering, law or medicine. Don't waste your money on college loans if you are going to major in something stupid like Liberal Arts, Fashion Design or Sociology. If you got rich parents who will foot the whole bill, go for it, but don't expect to set the world on fire in the workplace.
I was a Nuclear Welder & Engineering Laboratory Technician in the Navy, retired as an MMCS. Took my VEAP and parlayed it into a mechanical engineering degree, and worked for a while as a welding engineer/metalurgist. Worked for GE for the last 20 years. I have an understanding and a respect for the trades that a majority of our junior engineers have yet to learn