I was in high school about 6-8 years ago now and I can tell you that high schools constantly push going to University. It doesn't matter if you're going into a

I was in high school about 6-8 years ago now and I can tell you that high schools constantly push going to University. It doesn't matter if you're going into a program like psychology with 800 other students or if you're going into STEM, they push you to just go to University "because employers want it". And parents often feel that same pressure and just want their kid to have a degree. I went to university for software engineering, but I minored in psychology. So many people in my minor seemed to be doing it for their parents and not as much for themselves. When they graduated they weren't really much further in life than before University. If anything a lot of them were further set back. Because their job prospects with such a degree are basically non-existent. The university will happily pump through tons of students in degrees that have almost zero demand. In a program like psych the only way to even find a job that needs you and would pay a bit more is if you get a masters or PhD. I know so many people who graduated programs like psych and they are barely making above minimum wage and didn't really get to utilize their degree. And not only that, but they often have a lot of debt. On the other hand, trades are in very high demand. Most trade programs here are just 1-2 years long and you'll exit them with a job secured almost right away and already be making fairly decent money. You'll be making more money than almost anyone with a Uni degree in a non-STEM field. But despite this, it was barely even presented as an option in high-school. We had Universities come and give talks about what it's like, and what kinds of programs they offered. Did we get the same about other education options? Nope. For some reason there is this view in society that you have to have a degree otherwise you won't be successful and that you're not smart. In fact media/entertainment often also pushes this same narrative which doesn't help things either. So many of those psych grads I talked about ended up going back to college (In Canada college is like a trades school or community college in America) to take additional programs on HR or admin related topics. They find their degree didn't get them anywhere and they end up having to go to another kind of education to make themselves hirable.