Personally I never went into heavy debt and lived a minimal lifestyle for almost 20 years. All my friends went to college right out of high school and racked up alot of student loan debt. I didnt. I got a $15/hr job and saved up money for a down payment on a house. Bought my first house when i was 20 years old. 5 bedroom fixer upper. Moved in 4 roommates that easily paid for the mortgage. I continued to work and made double or triple payments on it. Paid it off in 4 years. Bought more rental properties. Continued to snowball. When the 2008 housing crash happened in the states i was in position to buy alot of bank owned properties for dirt cheap. Sold all my properties when I was 38 years old. Now im retired and travel the world full time.

The key was no debt besides buy investment properties. All my friends took out massive student loans. When they graduated they bought brand new cars, crotch rockets, and jet skies. I was driving around in a beat up ford festiva and paying with cash. no credit cards, no amazing clothes, and living in run down houses while fixing them up.