College does not have to end in huge debt. My wife started going to college in 2008, mostly just to get out of the house. She took a couple of classes at the community college. Pretty cheap. She eventually got an Associate's Degree, cheaply and wthout debt. Then, she found a new program at a private university that was trying to attract older people in the workforce who wanted to get ahead. She got her Bachelor's Degree pretty cheaply because of this trial program. Then she went to Western Governor's University online for her MBA. She worked hard and got it done in 8 months. Between tax credits, her workplace subsidizing some of the costs, and our two salaries, she got an AA, BA, and MBA a little over 5 years with no debt. Once she got her Bachelor's, she got a raise and got another one after getting her MBA.
My job required a bachelor's degree. I got mine by attending community college and public universities. I had about $7500 in debt when I graduated back in 1985.
Community college, in-state public universities, working while attending classes, tax credits, etc. all help. Not going to a private university helps the most. They are crazy expensive. Most workplaces don't care where the sheepskin is from, or what your GPA was, they just want to see that you have a degree. Her raises at work due to her degrees made our financial life so much better.