If you want some advice from someone who chose not to go to college, then here it is. If they don't want to go to college, let them not go to college. Chances are they will realize on their own that college is a necessary stepping stone in life, and the experience of pursuing a degree will be 10 times more important to them. I chose not to go to college after graduating high school. I was so dead set against it in fact that I didn't even take the SATs. I got a job as a bank teller and moved out on my own when I was 19. After 1 year I realized that I WAS NOT going to be a bank teller for the rest of my life and that I HAD to get out of there. I started going to college part-time and still have not graduated...4 years later! But having the life and work experience I have and the perspective, I realize how important it is to get my college degree. Looking back, I wouldn't have done anything different. It is astonishing to look around at all of the kids right out of high school, and even some who are college graduates that are my age, and see the huge maturity gap between myself and them. That year and a half I spent being a fullfledged, self-supporting adult BEFORE going to college prepared me for the real world more then college ever would have. So if your kid doesn't want to go to college, I say don't force it. The decision in itself will force them to grow up and realize what they want and what's best for them and once they make that realization they will do whatever it takes to acheive their goals.