I finished my B.S. and have nearly finished my M.S entirely while working
At a pizza shop? I doubt it.
I am surrounded by lots of people who did it ir are doing it every day. heck the company I work fir now even pays tuition,
Well, the trick would be to get a job at your company first. Again, I doubt you bake or deliver pies. Can someone fresh out of high school walk in the door and get at job at your company?
Although this was 30+ years ago, I worked my way through undergrad, grad and professional school working at the hospital and as a paramedic.
30+ years ago school was cheaper. Also, paramedic isn't exactly a job a kid out of high school can get.
My daughter, who just finished her BFA last year, worked part-time through school to keep the loan costs down.
Still winds up in debt at the end. Less debt, but still debt.
Look, folks, I got my own Associate degree just a couple of years ago with the assistance of my employer. However, between the time I graduated high school and the time I got this job, it has been 15 years. "Working through school" meant having an entry level job and going to college right out of HS, and getting a well-paid job after. Now, you have to have a well paid job first. Entry level jobs pay too little and school costs too much for this to be a viable proposition. Even back in 1993, I had to drop out of college after running up a bunch of credit card debt because I could not get any financial aid at all, not even loans, and there was no way to get a job that would pay any significant portion of tuition and my living expenses. And I did have to pay my living expenses because my mom could not put me up. Even though I went to a cheap college ( I had to pass on a scholarship to a better one because it was only for half tuition - I could not come up with the other half).
I don't fully understand why school costs what it costs. Faculty often isn't paid all that much, and many colleges heavily rely on adjuncts who are hardly paid anything at all.