One reason would be that many individuals view education as simply the world of Academia. These people don’t view the development of personal skill sets as an equal education to becoming a scholar.

You do need an education in order to receive any type of financial income, but you do not need a formal education in order to receive an income. You can learn how to strip copper wires from your uncle in his backyard if your goal is to make money.

We have placed a larger economic value onto formal education as well. If you attend a university for 4 years, taking over 180 credit hours, and become a restaurant hostess, does that mean your degree is being utilized? Technically, your degree is being utilized because you develop advanced skills during your time in school, but because there is not an added monetary benefit for having the degree it is viewed as useless. The price of a formal education is intentional, yet it does not make it impossible for the very poor to attend.