On average, skipping college and investing tuition costs nets a higher return

This is something I'm torn about. On one hand, I agree with this sentiment and wish I would've just gone to a trade school instead of a traditional college. That would've been much more useful than a non-STEM degree.

On the other hand, going to college and getting the chance to explore electives really helped me grow as an individual. Was philosophy and learning to analyze & interpret works of art practical? Not monetarily, no. As far as software jobs are concerned, at least I have a degree, it's better than nothing.

And yet my father started a business with only a highschool education, that makes way more than I would even as a mid level software engineer.

Thankfully my loans were only $20k and I was able to pay them off through the family business. I would not be able to justify this attitude for $50k/year.