You’re right, I was off on the percentages. In 1986 (when Rav Moshe was niftar) 23% of men in the US had graduated college. In 2022 36% of men in the US had graduated college. Nevertheless, even now it is a minority who get a degree. Currently, when college is higher than previously, still 2 out 3 American men do not graduate college. There’s no basis to claim one must graduate college in order to make a living. Unless you want to argue the 64% of American men today who never graduated college are not making a living.
Furthermore, as I keep repeating — Kach hi darkah shel Torah — pas b’melach tochal” — bread, salt and water. If you have that, you have parnasah. You might need college if you want to own a Cadillac or Lexus, but you don’t need college to have pas b’melach tochal. And if without college you’ll live in a three bedroom (or less) rented apartment on the third floor, with all five boys sharing one bedroom and the four girls all sharing another, you certainly should choose that over college. Even if you often end up clothing your children in second hand, hand me down, clothing from your sister in law’s children who outgrew those otherwise good apparel.