(Warning: Very Long Post)
HCP, as a college professor it's not surprising I am pro-college and pro-Bachelor's (or more) over a 2-year degree. If your kids really know what they want and they can get it with a 2-year degree (or no degree at all) then great, go that route. However, few freshly minted HS graduates both know what they want to do and have an understanding of the effort it will take to get there.
No Debt
As for 4-year degrees, you really need to find a way for your kids to graduate with with small to zero debt. Large debt can sour what should be great memories. There are a couple of ways to do this but not all of them apply to all people:
1) Have your kids live at home. Others in this forum have discussed the down side of dorm life. I'll keep it simple: It's $10K/year to stay in the dorm. The federal government does not include these expenses when calculating aid. How close do you live to PSU/PCC/whatever? I live 1 mile from EOU so my kids can bike ride/walk. It may sound extreme to some, but you could move closer to PCC yourself saving living expenses for your kids.
2) Have your kids start taking classes while still in H.S. Instead of A.P. courses, just have your kids take classes from a university instead. They'll get the college credits without being burned out by A.P. courses and they'll learn more. EOU has a program where H.S. students are only charged $40 per credit. There is a max of 8 credits. My 3rd son went to college half time for 2 years before going to college full time. It was a bit easier for us because he was home schooled. Some might be intimated by this, thinking "my kid is no A.P. student" - don't be. Basically all colleges have classes geared specifically for non-superstar students - a typical junior in H.S. would do fine going half time. Remember, these colleges have to have classes that exchange students who don't have english as their first language can excel in - these classes are shared with "regular" students. You may need to do seek some advice on what classes to take, but college counselors really want to help you. You could also get some good advice on these message boards if you want.
3) Have your kids get scholarships. When you apply to college you can apply for many of their scholarships with one application. So yes, make your kids understand the value of good grades and high SAT/ACT scores. Of course many parents go overboard on this so don't apply pressure, just make sure they understand the concept and remind them every once in a while. My 2nd son is going to Linfield which is like $33K/year + $10K/year for dorms and he was required to live in the dorm for TWO years (this is unusual, usually it's just 1 year or 0 years). He had very good scores (but not great or anything) on the non-math portion of the SAT and got a $10K/year scholarship. In addition he got a $4K/year diversity scholarship - Linfield is very "white bread" so it was not hard for him to get that. My other kids have not gotten diversity scholarships at other schools.
4) Have them graduate in 4 years. If they want to go longer, have them graduate in 4 years and then move on to graduate school.
5) Don't pay for graduate school. If you distinguish yourself as an undergraduate there are still plenty of opportunities to attend graduate school with a teaching assistantship or research assistantship.
Why college?
1) I'm a pessimist. Basically, I think we've been living in a non-sustainable way and the stuff has just started to hit the fan. The worse the economy the better off you are with credentials - any credentials.
2) Hospitals, Microsoft, Banks, Corporate America. While these places all have down sides, they are all very good places to work. Suppose you work at a hospital and you can have any job you want, what would it be? Probably not the janitor or receptionist, you'd probably want to be a doctor, nurse, or therapist. These jobs are difficult but they pay the most and have the most prestige and even power. You can make the same arguments about Microsoft. The best jobs are those with college degrees.
3) Self-esteem. We all have doubts, we all do dumb things and that certainly applies to me - and sometimes I get called to the carpet. Having a college degree allows me to freely venture into card tournaments, message boards, and other places and be vulnerable and not have to be defensive. I don't need the ego boost of having to LOOK smart. Nor do I feel the need to flaunt my credentials - they're almost meaningless on this message board anyway.
4) College is Fun. Colleges work hard at making college fun because retention is extremely important to their financial bottom line.
5) Less Jackass bosses. Your boss as a banker, nurse, or engineer is much less likely to be a jackass than your summer minimum wage job boss - and if your boss is an ass you have the credentials to get another job and leave the jackass behind.
How to get them to go to college
1) Have college expectations for them. Reinforce the impression that "everyone goes to college." Go to college campuses such as UO which has over 24,000 students and you'll find that "everyone" does indeed go to college. I once saw a show about a Mexican immigrant farm worker who worked like 80 hours a week and was still barely scraping by with his kids living in a rusty cabin. He was worried about his kid's future. He assumed that his kids would do the same type of work - don't do that.
2) Take an interest in college sports. Buy them Ducks or Beavers or whatever stuff for their birthdays and Christmases. Get them to feel like they're already part of the college community before they even enter high school. Lots of alumni feel that way which is why there is so many alumni donors.
Bottom Line:
College certainly isn't for everyone. If your kids want to be welders or plummers or whatever, good for them. Help them to make that happen. Sometimes people get stuck with minimum wage jobs. However, if one is just starting out they should aspire to something better (unless they are VERY sure they want that min. wage job forever) and that often involves college credentials.
