There are ways to do college cheaply. A peer mentioned scholarships if you come from an economically disadvantageous background. But there is always the Community College option. I think that is often overlooked because parents want their kids to enjoy the same "college lifestyle" that they themselves had, but it might be financially more prudent for them to start CC and then transfer to a better college later.

Having a manageable student debt is undoubtedly more important than the "college experience" IMO. College is really really important for the education; if you make the most of it and obtain the skills to make money, you ensure a much more sustainable and enjoyable quality of life.

In Australia where I live, the student loans are not as great and are paid via a government interest free loan that is repaid as an additional "tax" once your salary exceeds a certain threshold. This is another reason I'm thankful we're not in the US.

With respect to disease and circumstances truly beyond their control then we will do whatever is necessary at that time. However they are exceptional circumstances.

With respect to homelessness my response will be measured against their attempts to exit those circumstances (irrespective of how they got there). So if they are addicted to a substance (for example) then if they are actively trying to shake that addiction (or showing a true willingness to) then I will help them do so.

My view of parenting is that our goal should always be to try and raise resilient, independent kids. It is not to provide an infinite bank for those that aren't interested in owning their own lives.

there's things called scholarships, worked well for me and lots of other people.

The problem is that easy student loans has made it so people who should have never gone to college are now going and flunking out after a few semesters of partying and now have 10s of thousands in debt with nothing to show for it.

Combine easy money with indoctrination telling kids that they will be losers if they don't go and you have the current situation

Scholarships are hard to get when you're a white male with perfectly good (but not exceptional) grades. A bit easier when you're a woman, since they have more scholarships earmarked for you.

Most people won't have scholorships, or at least not enough scholorships to cover their entire tuition.

> telling kids that they will be losers if they don't go

It's worse than "mere" peer pressure. A 4 year college education is all-but-required for entry level white collar jobs anymore. A college degree is this century's High School Diploma.

Not really, only 1/3rd of millennials have degrees.

Meanwhile there are tons of trade jobs that don't get filled because there's a stigma against it.

> because there's a stigma against it.

And they frequently paid really low wages, since they're expected to be filled by immigrants, both legal and illegal. $10 an hour seasonally to pick onions? $15 an hour for a professional welder? Those are near-poverty level wages.