Higher education certainly has it's place. For example, in the military, if you have a bachelor's, you become eligible to Commission as an Officer and make A LOT more money.
Often I don't believe young people go to school with a purpose in mind.
They go simply because it is the "common" thing to do.
The biggest hurdle in this day and age is getting the message out that college isn't for everyone. Parents have often abandoned their role in explaining the "why or why nots" to their children, but the Internet has "filled" the void. It is the great equalizer.
Thats part of the issue, its a "common" thing to do, so why not? Except that most parents pay for their kids $20,000 a year college education which sums up to a Political Science Major where they end up with no real world skill or plan.
School has become a business more than a place to learn because of that.