That's easy to say, but environment is extremely important. If a child's parents don't encourage or support them in school, how are they supposed to develop good study habits? Should we expect grade school children to think about their future even if their parents do not? Most people will end up going as far in school as their parents and that certainly isn't coincidence. I see no reason to minimize environment.
And anyway, unless you go into nursing, what does community college get you? Education has become the new method of social stratification, with many careers placing a Bachelor's degree -in any field- above a 2-year degree in a relative field. Upward mobility is very low in the United States; social stratification exists and education disparity is one cause. The job market is a competition, and the kid with parents who offer no support will end up competing against those who had all the advantages that money and a higher social class could buy.
Beyond that, working-class jobs have dried up, as factories have moved wholesale to developing countries. These are jobs that were once the backbone of our economy.
It really annoys me when people imply that a career is a community college course away, or that not being able to find a job is the fault of the person looking. I say that as a person who got their 2-year degree last summer and is still searching. My last interview actually felt really good, but when I asked about my chances the interviewer grimaced a bit said that they expected around 500 applications for 15 positions. I didn't get the job. At this point, I'm not even worried about finding a career in my field, I just want any job, yet with that degree and past management positions on my resume, all I get are rejections. Yesterday I got one from CVS.
And people are going to tell me it's because I'm lazy or I didn't try hard enough? Yeah, well, I think I'm just going to bite my tongue.
