I'm so happy I did a degree in the UK in the 1980s when the fees were paid by the taxpayers and as my parents weren't very well off I got a full grant as well. As far as investments go that investment in me by the UK taxpayers paid off pretty well....

We should be more like Germany, with trade schools being a viable option for those that are not academically inclined

I live in the US and paid my loans off in one paycheck after graduating. The way I did it was by going to a cheap community college for the first two years to get my associates degree. I got government student aid which paid for the entire tuition/books with some extra to live on.

Since I did well at community college, I was able to transfer to a larger university in-state and get some decent scholarships (A transfer scholarship offered by the University as well as a SMART grant offered by the government).

Keep in mind I lived with family which might might not be possible for some. I also worked low paying jobs over some of the summers, but not throughout the academic year.