“The reality in the USA is that good paying jobs for those without college degrees very often require the willingness to work “odd hours” and weekends when needed.”
If you go into business for yourself and are your own boss you can make your own hours. True you most likely will need a certain amount of capital but some frum parents shell out 150k+ per child to go to college.
I would rather see that 150k+ go towards a well thought out business plan with an adviser and mentor than spend it on learning why atheism is awesome, the communist manifesto, Shakespeare and ending up with a worthless BA in English lit.