Do you really need a college degree to get a high-paying job in tech? Google says no, and more and more employers in the tech industry are doing the same. Still, the share of jobs in the industry that require high-level digital skills is growing, so there’s clearly a need to somehow educate rising generations to meet the continued demand.

Workers with the highest digital skills (regardless of industry) earn higher wages, according to a Brookings report. So where do you (or your child) get these skills, especially on a budget when a four-year college degree is out of reach?

Most of us have been conditioned to assume that high school students are either headed for college and a “good” career, or, unfortunately, on some other path that will lead to a “not so good” career. In today’s digital world, that idea is not only outdated, but in many ways laughable.

That’s because today’s technology isn’t your father’s multi-room server. Technology is everywhere, from the car to the desk to the living room to your wrist. The next decade in tech is expected to be explosive, with careers in areas most of us know little about, like nanotechnology, artificial brains, and retina displays.