The economic adversary is often greatly mitigated by federal Pell Grants[0] and similar state level programs, especially when the student attends a junior colle

The economic adversary is often greatly mitigated by federal Pell Grants[0] and similar state level programs, especially when the student attends a junior college for the first two years. As the article pointed out, the difference isn't academic, or even really economics, it's cultural. It's the attitude that college is for muckity mucks, and just a place to get brainwashed, along with "My dad didn't college, and he was fine. So I don't have to go." (Never mind that the mine the father worked in closed 15 years ago.) This attitude isn't a rural thing, as much as it is a rural male thing.[1] Even if we ignored all of this, and focused just on economics, Your "4 - 8 years [of] lost work experience", is most likely experience in nothing relevant to whatever job you get after college. Being cashier at Dollar General isn't relevant to really anything, except being a cashier somewhere. This is the type of job you get with no education past high school. Even if you were stretch "relevant" to "life skills like showing up on time", then just get the part time job in college like many college students. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell_Grant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell_Grant [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/gender-education-gap/546677/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/gender-...