Sorry this happened to you.

But this is bad advice. It sucks a lot of people just went to college without thinking through what their degree was going to be worth and whether the ROI was worth the debt. That kind of decision is hard to make as an 18 year old and it definitely points to systematic failure.

I was lucky in the sense I was forced to be more independent than most at 17 and as a result heavily weighted my options and thought through what I was going to study. I went to the school which would have cost me less after scholarships and grants (I graduated with 30k in debt) and chose a degree that had an average 55k/yr starting pay out of college. I worked hard, saved aggressively, and 3 years after graduating I had paid off my loans. Because the field I chose was a highly desirable and growing like crazy, there have been many opportunities to move up and get more pay. 5 years out I’m now in a very comfortable position and about to buy a house- but I would have never gotten here without my education. If I had waited until I had enough money to pay for school out of pocket, I wouldn’t have been able to get an education until my mid 30s. That’s an insane opportunity cost and frankly selfish to suggest.

I’m not trying to “rub it in”, just offer an alternate perspective.

I agree most 18 year olds aren’t ready nor truly value higher education. It’s not doing society any favors to have kids graduate with 80k+ in loans for a sociology degree. There should be alternatives and we should be encouraging them. However just because some have been burned doesn’t mean it’s bad to take out a loan. It’s an investment in your future. BUT just like with any other investment, not all are good ideas and if you wish to come out ahead, careful planning and analysis are essential- plus a bit of luck, too.