Not if you're independent, resourceful, and motivated to learn. Is there some risk in not going to college, yeah, maybe - but young adults have many years to 'figure it out'. Not all answers lie in institutional credentials.
I've worked with dozens of self taught programmers, designers, operators, etc. Look at how much more information is available via the web now vs what was available in 1983.
Not disagreeing with anything you are saying. In fact, why get a job at all? Start a business during high school, make millions, and skip it all. There's plenty of information out there to make this a realistic option.
However, for people that did not pursue that route, it is also true that many employers require a college degree for many jobs. Some 19-year-olds may "pattern match" well enough to get some hiring managers to grant exceptions. But these are exceptions and by definition not good general advice.
> Not all answers lie in institutional credentials.
Also consider that the truth of this may depend on the specifics of a job-seeker's phenotype. YMMV.
I've worked with dozens of self taught programmers, designers, operators, etc. Look at how much more information is available via the web now vs what was available in 1983.