College is definitely one way to meet goals in life, but more and more it's turning out to be a horrendously expensive way. Therefore, people graduating from high school now need to carefully consider all available options, not just assume that they will go to college. If they do go the college route, they need to carefully consider how they will pay for it, not just take out a loan. There are lots of scholarships available, and it's also a good idea to get an associate's degree in a practical trade first. Then you can work your way through doing a higher paying job, and you have something to fall back on in case your degree doesn't quite work out for you.