What about college for those who want a career that demands a degree (realistically, not according to HR)? The discussion here should be about under what circumstances college is meaningful and appropriate, not whether author's world view. If the article is wrong, dispute it with sources.

Almost all careers are either certification-based or they create an arms race of education. When you have an arms race everyone has an incentive to get a degree but perhaps not everyone with said degree will get a job. Resources are wasted, but there isn't any incentive to stop the system from perpetuating itself. When you have a surplus of unemployed-educated people, why not hire over-educated workers? This reenforces the need for a degree.

Every time I see people saying "not everyone should go to college" during a non-economic-boom I wish they would start teaching game theory to high schoolers.

How is that the only other option? How about college for those that will increase their economic productivity beyond the added cost?

Or how about an acknowledgement that it's becoming harder and harder for people to compete against machines?

Another option could be "college for the intelligent, regardless of wealth".