College: Work or Waste?

I graduated high school ohhh about three years ago now and the only jobs I've had were shitty no-talent ones that were usually given to me by someone I know. I worked part time retail at a high end clothing store. I quit that place as soon as I could. Then I was a part timer at a green house where my boss was a sexist, I ran the register, and watered plants all day. I was laid off. After months of no income, my mother got me ready to start working where she worked: a factory. I was laid off from there 4 months later. Now I have a paper route with my boyfriend that pays better than minimum wage, the hours are short, and we make tips. But the paper route eats through cars and gas. We usually manage to break even, but it has become increasingly difficult.

When I tell other people about our struggle to pay bills, I get the same response every single time:
"You'll make more money if you go to college."

Last night on the BBC radio station, they talked to some women in New York who lost their jobs. One of them had a Ph.D. in Physics and she lost her job to outsourcing to India.

While my point is about college, here's a side note: Americans KNOW our unemployment rate is psychotically high. Why the ever living fuck are we still sending jobs to other countries?

Anyway, I ask myself, "Will college really get me a better paying job?" and the sub-question to go with it: "Will that job even be something I like?" Because lets face it, as a female, I never know what I want. How can I be absolutely positive that I want a job for example, as a doctor? I work well under pressure (if you can ignore my temper) but I don't like dealing with people at my job unless they're my co-workers and I have to. I want to be a writer, but most colleges (especially ones I could afford) don't have any place for writers. "So why not look for writing schools?" I did, but they're expensive. Essentially, the only way to afford college is by getting loans, but I hardly make any money, so how can I pay those loans back? "Don't be silly. Once you're published, you'll make the money back to pay the loans back." The chances of becoming as rich as J.K. Rowling as a writer are astronomically improbable and that's not even WHY I want to write! I want to write so I can share my stories, not to live in a castle. (What the fuck does J.K. Rowling need with a fucking castle anyway?)

If people with Ph.D.s in Physics can lose their jobs to outsourcing and all jobs are now requiring degrees in something, factory work is now being done in China, it SOUNDS like it makes sense to go to college, BUT YOU ARE STILL UNLIKELY TO GET HIRED. I'll keep my paper route and attend writers workshops umtil college actually becomes worth my time and money.

This has been a public services rant brought to you by Lady Blades. "The more you know, the less stupid you might become."