I think the question should be asked, but the student should not necessarily be discouraged. As mentioned above, many students don’t find or maximize their abilities until later and could be successful in college where they weren’t in HS.
But I’m going to rant a bit here. Feel free to skip ahead.
I really believe our country’s educational system and society don’t give students many options. Some kids hit upon a career choice early that happens to turn into something they like once they begin to study/practice it. A certain percentage of those students will have hit on one they’ll actually see a good ROI from. Many high school students, though, look around themselves and see doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, engineer, accountant, etc. as the choices they know anything about. They may take an interest assessment that tells them they’d be a great funeral director or dairy plant manager but have no interest in that field. Then as a HS sophomore or junior, everyone suddenly wants to know what they plan to do with the rest of their life and where they’ll go to get educated for that. They may know a daycare teacher doesn’t make enough money to support a family or pay back student loans, or they may think their own preferences or indecision is not the right answer, so they say something like medicine or engineering.
I don’t know the best solution but one aspect of overpaying and being overcharged for college is that too many students just don’t know what they want to do when they leave. As we decide how to fix the student loan debt and other issues with higher education, this is an important aspect.
End rant.