<p>You sound very wise for your age and better to make that decision now before you do spend a lot of money on college and end up with very little to show for it.</p>
<p>You mention working in the steel mills. What about heading to North Dakota to work in the oil industry? There is a part of me that wishes my son, who is about to go to college in Fall 2014, would decide to take a year to go experience that life, work until he is bone tired, and sock away a lot of cash.</p>
<p>In any case, as others have posted, if you recognize that you are not ready for college, then go do something else. Who knows if you might end up with a decent job and your employer might even pay you to go to school.</p>