here lies the problem.. Before if your kid went to a 4 year college and was directionless, yes it wasted the parents money, but it was recoverable.
Now if a kid is directionless after a 4 year college, he/she probably wasted the equivalent of a starter home. So if there is any shred of doubt, maybe the JC route for some kids is a better option until they get their act together.
Before, in college, there was some leeway to allow the kid to be uncertain and try different things..These days, it’s to cost prohibitive to do this unless you are just filthy rich.
Sadly, a lot of career.decision making is being pushed down to the high school level. My kid is going to Canyon crest Academy, and they already have specialized tracks starting in 9th grade. I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a good thing unless your kid is one of the exceptions and really liked something early on.