What is an appropriate age to say to a student, for whatever reason, oh, Honey, college is not for you?
There's no need to get angry or make assumptions about my attitude. Or that not going to college is a sign of failure or inadequacy.
As I noted, I believe that our schools are failing their students by pushing everyone to go to college, which results in not helping many of them find where their talents are. They get saddled with debt, stuck in unsatisfying jobs, and many don't get a chance to develop professionally. I think this is cruel.
There is an unsubtle message in the college-is-essential speech: people who don't go to college are somehow less worth or have failed.
You seem to be getting angry at the suggestion that our society shouldn't push everyone to go to college. I've experienced this reaction in others as well, and I don't understand why so many people look down on trades and jobs that don't require a college degree Many are critical to the function of any society, and many people who have these jobs lead productive happy lives and deservedly earn the respect of others around them. Why such a negative reaction on your part?