Between "gaming the parents" and habits that precluded doing my best in school, I wasted about five years off and on in community college before giving up and entering the workforce proper. 20 years later, I had lots of life experience, and the knowledge that I didn't want to work with my back for the rest of my life. I wouldn't exactly call that 20 years wasted, but I'm back in school now trying to do what I didn't do then.

I still don't know what I'm going to do, that's why I'm in community college, working on transferable undergrad stuff, but I do know that I wasted a lot of potential by waiting 'til now to do this.

You're right, a little real life experience is a good thing to have, but devoting 2 or 3 years to a trade school, and then working at that trade "for a little while" is more likely to lead to working that trade for life, and wondering what could've been (teacher?). I got lucky, and got a chance to go back; most never do.

You don't have to start college knowing where you're going to end; part of a college education is to explore new things. There are a lot of careers that you don't even know exist yet, and others that may not exist until you create them! If you've got the chance to go for the degree, go for it! Explore your options while you can. The world is full of people who could've and didn't, don't be one of them.