No need for that woke college degree. That's just the starting wage for skilled trades too. Often this leads to owning a business yourself. Look at it this way. Zero college debt, start a apprenticeship in the trades where you are paid to learn. End up getting paid ~$70k/yr before you are even 21. Be smart and save and you will be successful and never have to worry about stuff like student loans and starting a job at maybe ~$35-45k/yr when you are 22-24. Archive: https://archive.today/hi5hz From the post: >>Trade companies are increasingly hiring workers fresh out of high school to counter labor shortages caused by baby boomers retiring. Skilled high school graduates can expect to immediately earn as much as $70,000 in professions such as plumbing, electrical work and welding. Elijah Rios, 17, won't be graduating until next year, but he already has a job lined up where he'll make $68,000 annually. Rios, a junior, is taking welding classes at Father Judge, a Catholic high school in Philadelphia that works with companies who want to bring on skilled tradespeople.