MVC is a design pattern and isn't directly related to OOP (though it uses some of those concepts). Design patterns are just useful shortcuts for things if you happen to be doing something that fits that pattern. If you aren't, then you shouldn't use it. You aren't supposed to force what you are doing into that pattern. It has little to do with the value of OOP as a whole. The whole point is that you can create your own objects and patterns as best fits what you are doing. The problem with OOP is that you can't just helter skelter throw crap together on the fly. You have to spend serious time and effort on design. This pays off on the back end in terms of maintainability. My previous employer paid for my masters degree in this stuff. They are not unique. If they aren't looking for it then why are they paying for it? If you are just developing iPhone, Android or Web Apps then it becomes less important.
I'm not sure which employers are looking for people who have NOT gone to college but I can tell you in my experience looking for jobs, they ALL put down college as a requirement (there may be an "or 10 years experience" but getting that experience without the degree can be a bitch. Where do you get experience if everyone requires a degree for those without experience?) Employers don't necessarily expect that a college teaches you everything you need to know about programming, they expect that if you successfully make it through that then you are capable of learning everything you need to know and have some minimum competency level. I have never found a college degree a detriment to getting a job.
Regardless if you pass the bar or not, if you want to be hired by a law firm you also need a degree. Yes, technically you don't have to have one to practice law but it helps...a lot. And the same is true for many other career choices. I don't like how the whole bar system works either and have never had a desire to be a lawyer. But if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't skip college and expect success. That's just not reality.
Knowing your stuff isn't sufficient to make you a good teacher. You can be extremely knowledgeable about math and be a terrible math teacher. Though I agree that government shouldn't be setting the standards, that doesn't mean there isn't stuff you can learn to make you a better teacher or that you aren't taught some of those things when you get a higher level education in teaching. Besides, there's a difference between how you or I think it SHOULD work vs. how it DOES work. If you really want to be a teacher, whether in public or in private schools, then a degree is a big help if not an absolute requirement in getting such a job. This is true of many other jobs as well.
As far as the quality of K-12 education it depends hugely on where you are. I live in Florida where schools are generally crap. Having said that, I live in a county where they are generally pretty good and while my kids attend public schools they are school's of choice and also happen to be excellent schools.
But yes, the school system as a whole would improve drastically if the government got out of it.
I think you present somewhat of a false dichotomy above. You can spend <$50,000 and have much better employment prospects than not spending anything (not going to college). Many career choices require a college degree if you expect to get hired. But if spending $200k will land you a $100k/year job then go for it. To me, in most cases the decision isn't really about whether or not you should attend college because in many cases it is impractical not too if you want to have the career of your choice. The decision is what degree you pursue and whether that Ivy League, private or other "prestigious" out of state school is going to be worth the 10x or more cost. In some cases yes, in most cases no. Good grades in high school also tends to lead to scholarships which can significantly reduce your costs. Poor grades might mean college isn't right for you anyway.