As a European I find that the sheer amount of money required to get higher education in the US is absolutely crazy. In most (if not all) of Europe, universities

As a European I find that the sheer amount of money required to get higher education in the US is absolutely crazy. In most (if not all) of Europe, universities are paid from tax payers money and are basically free for all who have the necessary qualification to attend them. That shows though. I have the impression that you can make rather decent money in the US without ever going to college but there's not a glimpse of hope for you to do that in Europe. Without at least a minor in something you'll top out at about 2.5k€/month (that's an annual salary of abour 35000$) being employed anywhere. So, all in all, you're expected to go to university. Oh and btw, going to university was in fact a great idea for me, personally.