I have a hard time calling that a waste of money.
People vastly underestimate how many doors not having a degree closes for you.
I don't judge them for not exercising this option, as I don't know them, everyone's life situation is different, etc, etc. But they at least have that option, should they [choose to/end up in a position to] work towards it.
A degree doesn't magically open doors for you. But in 2020, not having a degree will actively close doors for you.
To put it another way: A seat belt does not guarantee you will survive a serious car crash, but not having one is not going to help your prospects.
Not liking your job is the most normal thing in the world. It is incredibly privileged to have a job that you actually like doing.
> There are folks where a degree is really just a debt and they'd be better off learning a trade.
There are large problems with going into a trade, too. It's hard work, your body is destroyed after 15-20 years of it, you are incredibly vulnerable to economic cycles, you don't make much money in most of them, unless you become a business owner. It's better than stocking shelves, but that's a pretty low bar to clear.
To tie back to your earlier point, tradespeople almost universally hate their jobs. Most of them like the money, but hate the job.
I think we should all appreciate people's life choices, recognize people's hard work no matter how they went about doing that hard work (military, college, self-taught... who cares) and give people equal opportunities.
I've come to find that this is typically how life plays out anyway, most decent companies aren't particularly worried about the minutia of your background and are much more focused on what you know and what you can bring to the table now, and rightfully so.
I like meritocracies. The world should always operate as a meritocracy. It's 2020 for fucks sake lets end the gate-keeping.
"Do you want fries with that?"
This phrase predates the internet.