I'll give you 'depressing'. But I reject the notion that college is financially untenable. It is depressingly expensive. It takes a lot of hard work if you aren

I'll give you 'depressing'. But I reject the notion that college is financially untenable. It is depressingly expensive. It takes a lot of hard work if you aren't independently wealthy. But it is achievable. University of New Mexico costs ~$7400/year in tuition, $22000/year with room/board/books. A high school student working 10 hours/week at $8/hour can earn $2400 in one school year and another $4800 in a summer. Working for two years in high school, plus one summer, then working through their freshman year, they can earn $21600 before they start their sophomore year. If they step it up and work 20 hours/week as a college freshman, they can add another $2400. After taxes, they will come up only slightly short of the mark. That's depressing. But if they write a brief summary of what they did to earn money, how much they need, and how short they are, they will know that they only need $1000 loan or scholarship. There are very few bosses that won't recognize that effort and spring for a $1000 scholarship. Or maybe a parent can help with $500. Or maybe the college will help. Or maybe they can work one more part-time job one summer. The jobs might be menial. You might scrub toilets or bag groceries or scrape old paint off pipes or write html. It's depressing. It's a lot of work. It's doable.