Why do parents/teachers push so hard for kids to go to school?

Now I’m not knocking school or saying it is a bad thing, but it seems like many times these people push kids to go to school, but give them no direction. I know many people that spend 50-100k on a college degree, but end up doing something like human resources making 18 dollars an hour. Now why is there not more emphasis and direction on what kind of jobs to get to make a good salary. I know sales people that make 80,000 or much more per year and yet people who in my opinion wasted there time in school to make 30 or 40k a year. I don’t see the point in one wasting all that time, money, and energy in school if they are going to settle for a job with that kind of pay, with a few exceptions exmp. if they have a sincere and great pasion for that field.