<p>Look for statistics on average income of college grads today vs high school grads. My friend gave me the same argument for sending their youngest child to tech school rather than college. I gave them some numbers to look at regarding incomes and showed them how to compare schools. The parents have been very successful in business without college educations, so it was hard for them to understand why their children couldn't be as well. So far one is in school, one has completed a two year school and is working, with reasonably good success, but that is in spite of not having a BA, not because of it (in a business with family connections).</p>