The average tuition & fees for public, in-state college in 2021 is $9687 [0]. Adding room & board increase it to 20,050 [1]. So you could, theoretically, get a 4-year degree at a decent school for under $100,000.
Considering that a 4-year degree increases earnings, on average, from $38,376/year to $59,124/year (and also decrease unemployment from 5% to 2.4%), that's $20,748 per year increase. Over a 40-year career, that's $829,920 extra assuming no raises.
All of these figures can be adjusted for margins of error and you'll still be ahead with a 4-year degree.
[0] https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76 [1] https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76 [2] https://smartasset.com/retirement/the-average-salary-by-educ...
Now if you take on $500,000 in debt because you choose to go to a private college with no grants or scholarships, that's a different problem. And maybe it's not a good choice. But that's a different story than a 4-year public, in-state university.
When the school lies about how many graduates are placed at SV tech companies, when they lie about who teaches and designs the courses, when they lie about their “connections” to employers, enticing students to take debt for their false product, the problem is with the school... not the victim.
Do you also forgive rapists who say, “but she was wearing a miniskirt! She enticed me to do it!” The schools are the rapists here. The students are the victims.