Yes, it sure depend on the society you find yourselves. Some society prefer skilled workers over certificate while in some countries your certificate speaks for you. This is why we have fake doctors, nurses, engineers, including all fake professions in our world today. Education is good, like its a criteria but when it comes to earn a living, people dont see education as a means anymore.
Actually, it all depends on where we come from, so where there is a demand for skill services. Mostly, the places where they are learning skills will be more advantageous in terms of earning a living. But in my country, most people do both. Parents take their children to learn skills at an early stage, alongside school. Once the children come back from school and finish their assignments, they move on to where they are learning their skill.
Seriously, this method has helped a lot of people in my country. Because once their children graduate from college, they should have finished learning whatever skill they want to master. This approach has not interfered with their seriousness regarding education. In fact, the skills that many people learn are often what they use in higher institutions. They use those skills to support themselves.