The Economy Doesn’t Need This. "Neal McCluskey points out that some of the jobs expected to grow the most in the next ten years demand no post-high school education or less than a two-year degree: “Of the 30 occupations that the U.S. Department of Labor projects to see the greatest total growth by 2022, only 10 typically need some sort of postsecondary education, and several of those require less than an associate’s degree. Most of the new jobs will require a high school diploma or less.”
The White House estimates that the average cost of a year of community college is $3,800. Assume you have a summer job and school-year part-time job and continuing to live at mom and dad’s house. A 40-hour, minimum-wage job over 12 weeks of summer will earn a tax-free $3,480. A 15-hour-a-week, minimum-wage job over the year’s other 40 weeks will bring in $4,350. That doesn’t include any extra hours worked over other breaks. College covered.