You have to know what you're good at and your chances of making lots of money with your skills. Using myself as an example: I have no skills that "count" in "the new economy" - I'm good at writing, speaking, cooking, and making music, but not enough of a child prodigy in any of those areas (nor a head for business) to launch a career right out of high school. Consequently, I declined all student loan offers and decided I wouldn't get higher ed unless I could do it without going into debt.
After a few years of minimum-wage/unemployment struggle, I got a job at a university, where my benefits package includes taking up to 6 credit hours per semester at the whopping cost of $25 per credit hour. So I won't get my degree until I'm in my late 30s. No big deal. By the time I have my degree, I will have 15 years' experience in my field, plus all of the "cross-training" I've acquired in my job.
So even if you don't have a loan, or you get a degree in "something that doesn't count," you can still have a career. The trick is to find your way around the system of loan and debt. You have to know what you're good at, know what your prospects are, and find a path to walk.