The primary problem with the argument of "is college worth it", or one component of it that I find more interesting, completely misses the potential opportunity

The primary problem with the argument of "is college worth it", or one component of it that I find more interesting, completely misses the potential opportunity cost of college. Someone who goes to high school and immediately joins the workforce with a high-school level job will often not continue to put forth school-level mental effort in that job or at home. Is that a school problem or a workplace problem? A more fair (or rather helpful and telling) comparison would be if the student undertook an effort that can rival the purpose of the university.