People can be separated into two main groups when it comes to their opinion on life after high school. The first group considers a university diploma to be the best way to secure your future, while the other believes that practical skills play a more important role than formal qualifications do. Personally, I support the second group. In my opinion, experience and skills are the things that protect you from being unemployed.
Supporters of the first idea are partially right because it is true that without formal proof of your skills, you cannot hold a position as a doctor, teacher, or lawyer. For example, one of my private tutors had a good understanding of the subject and a few years of experience working as a private tutor for children with special needs. However, she was not able to work as a school teacher since she did not have formal education in that field. The absence of a diploma held her back from having an official, well-paid job as a school teacher.
However, when it comes to professions where people are valued more than their certificates, a diploma no longer plays such an important role. Take, for example, an SMM manager whose work mainly consists of creating posts and videos in order to draw attention to a product. In this case, the person who knows the algorithms is more likely to get the job because they would need less time to start bringing benefits to the company, since they have already developed all of the necessary skills.
From my point of view, practical skills are more important in our society, where everyone is aiming for fast and profitable results. I think only a worker with real experience can meet the expectations of an employer who is striving for quick profits.