I got out of high school determined to never go to school again. Worked as a carpenter for five years and became a supervisor. Still, i was only making $30k per year. Everybody I discussed my future with suggested that if I had a degree I could get a better job, so I went to college. Two years of community college got me job offers of $22k per year, needless to say, I went back to being a carpenter. Two years later, after talking to lots more people, I went to a well respected college and got a bachelors degree in economics, still no meaningful difference in pay between my carpenters wage and any job prospects. Both times I was assured by college staff that my sacrifice and investment would generate a lifelong return in higher paying career opportunities. THAT IS A LIE!
I drank the Kool Ade the college administrators were selling, got a masters degree, started working on my PhD and two years into the PhD I got a letter telling me I had met the lifetime maximum for student loans. No PhD for me.
I am still a carpenter. Before the depression I made an excellent salary and paid upwards of $700 per month on my student loans religiously for several years. Mind you, this was a trade that had nothing to do with any of my degrees, and I was making a six figure income.
When the crash impacted my job I put my loans in forbearance where they have been for the last seven years. in that time the debt has snowballed, and there is no way I can repay it, it is now double the amount I had originally borrowed for my worthless degrees, and it bothers me every day. If I could pay it back without hardship I would, and would have if the magical job opportunities that were promised would have come with the degrees. College and student loans are one of the biggest scams in the US.