Not going to university isn't the end of the world
I was lucky enough to go myself - but that was back in the days of full grants and when a degree really helped with a leg up the career ladder.
These days, with so many going to university, the reverse is often true and employers in many fields are looking for skills rather than academic learning. Two of my 3 children chose to eschew uni after 6th form in favour of apprenticeships, having decided that starting their adult lives under huge debt was/is not their ideal.
My youngest, at 18, has only just started his IT apprenticeship but is enjoying both learning in a practical way and earning a wage. My eldest, at 22, has finished her apprenticeship and is reaping the rewards in terms of a job that she loves, her own place, an income far in excess of that of her friends who chose university and .... instead of a mountain of debt she has substantial savings with which she intends to travel extensively (whilst plying her skills and experience wherever she goes).