College doesn't guarantee success as you said. Sometimes it can only bring you down and push you away from the path on which you should be.
That's why I quit two colleges and decided not to pursue any further formal education. It's wasting my time and money.
Most of the things they teach us there we can earn ourselves.
Internet is a wealth of information. In fact, it contains most of the knowledge known to man, and beyond. The best thing about it is that its free.
What I'm trying to say is that no, you don't need to spend money on college. Find something that interests you the most and teach yourself how to do it. Through trial and error you will become better. One day, with the right persistance and motivation, you will be better than you would if you went to college for the exact same thing.
Formal education is a waste of time. Government sponsored indoctrination camps.
Their only purpose isto waste our time and mold our brains into the little boxes they want them to be. We should be smarter than that!