Hell, my uncles are physical wrecks in their mid-50s and are wondering what the fuck they're going to do the rest of their lives as they can't handle the work sites anymore. Meanwhile, my dad retired in his late 50s after 30 some years at a desk job, physically no worse for wear. The physical toll is something that never gets talked about when people push the "OMG DO TRADES!!" thing that is happening. A lot of my friends in the construction trades got totally fucked by the last housing crash as well. My college degree friends, myself included, just shrugged and kept working or used their degree to get a new job that had "college degree required".

If you like the trades, go for it but SAVE YOUR MONEY for the hard times or later in life. If you want to go to college, just pick the cheapest state school you can. That's about all there is to it.