I've heard Germany brought up as an example for free tertiary education, so this might be applicable. For Germany, secondary education splits into three tracks

I've heard Germany brought up as an example for free tertiary education, so this might be applicable. For Germany, secondary education splits into three tracks, with the upper third choosing between a traditional University track, a more vocational Fachhochschule, or a dual work/study arrangement in the form of a "Duale Hochschule". These all offer bachelor degrees, but AFAIK only the University track offers masters and doctoral programs. German universities are also sparser in regards to amenities and faculty/student ratios than US or UK universities, at least from what I've heard, which brings costs down further. Graduates from lower secondary tiers also have several options. There's the Ausbildung, where businesses train hires internally to meet requirements for certain positions. A bank may train an "Azubi" from Teller to Account Manager to Branch Manager. Then there's the Meisterwesen, which is still reminiscent of the guilds, and mostly prevalent in the trades (e.g., Carpentry, Baking, etc.). Levels go from apprentices, to journeymen, to masters, where masters are licensed to open their own workshops/stores. My personal perception is that socially, a master carpenter is on the level of a masters graduate, but still below that of a PhD, but that's still a fair bit of social mobility considering that this route is open to anyone with any secondary school degree. So whilst less people get a college degree, business and industry do provide routes to livable work without one.