Several good posts. A degree ican be very good in some fields and less so in others. It depends on what the degree is in.

Of course personal experiences are anecdotal but there are lessons that can be learned so I will share mine.

I spent my first two years going to a community college. They are relatively inexpensive although I would make sure that the credits are transferrable (they typically are to the state colleges and university but may not be to out of state colleges and universities). Then I went to the state college and not the state university. Much cheaper and it was closer to home. If money is an issue don't even consider an out of state college or university. It took me three years at the college instead of two because I had to work and didn't carry a full load of credits. Tailor your employment to accommodate your college schedule. In my case I worked at a private Christian school as the janitor which was a night job and didn't have my first class until 10:00 AM so I got enough sleep.

They didn't have student loans but I didn't need one. I lived cheap renting a room instead of an apartment managed to get by. It can still be done today but a person needs to plan ahead, work hard, and make it happen because while you think going to college is tough wait until later when you're balancing a career and a family.