If you aren't going to college with a purpose in mind, and by purpose I mean a well thought out career choice with end goals in sight don't bother.

 

You can make a lot of money with or without a college education, just depends on how hard you want to work for it.  You have some amount of skill now as a young machine operator, why not try and build on that with trade school.  Broaden your skill set within your own industry as a starting point to make a transition to college a more feasible transition; welding, programming, CAD, or some other engineering modeling software (Pro-E or Solidworks) would all be good choices.

 

The more skills you have the harder it is to let you go, and the easier it is to pay you more and give you more responsibility (which = more $$$).

So many great posts, I've read them all thanks everyone. I'll be home later to reply to everyone. At work right now

My advice is to find the job that you're most interested in. Far too many ppl worry about money first, they later realize that they're stone cold miserable. My little brother is a chemical engineer specialty was petroleum, made.6 figures and was miserable. With a wife and four kids in tow he changed career paths nowhere near the money butt is happy, that's something money can't buy. Trade school, college or on the job training doesn't matter if u hate the job. Most successful ppl are absolutely passionate about what they do.

When I was 18 years old i got into a construction union here in the Kansas City area. 36 years later I was able to walk away from it WITH a pension. I still have to work but I have a job that is not a PITA. I also enjoy this job I have now. Not a thing wrong with it. My wife and I have a more enjoyable relationship because of the pension. If I want to go fishing now the boss lets me go. I am the oldest where I now work and I run circles and everyone else. I still get calls from the old boss wanting me to come back. He doesn't have enough money.

IE; Go the unions and join or go to a trade school, then work your a $$ off.