BMG, it’s true, there are people who are successful without going to college. But it is much more difficult, please don’t forget that.
I just looked up average household incomes by town in NJ. Lakewood has an average household income of about $43,000. Teaneck, where most people are college graduates, is $125,000.
Bingo! And herein lies the problem.
People in Teaneck quantify success by a person’s income. If you earn $125,000/year, they call you
“successful”; if you earn $43,000/year, they call you “unsuccessful”. Whereas in Lakewood, the $43,000/year talmid chochom is the success, while the $125,000/year am ha’aretz is unsuccessful.