I agree completely! As one of 5 kids in a blue-collar household, it was either pay for my own educations, or don’t go to college. My parents were reasonable, allowing anyone who was in a local school to live rent-free at home while in school, and contributed support to those who chose to pursue their educations elsewhere. If you chose to work instead, you paid board, no exceptions. I started at a junior college to keep costs down for the first 2 years, got student loans and worked during school and on weekends.
In the intervening years, so many people defaulted on their student loans, the rules changed. Instead of making students responsible for their own debt, colleges and lending institutions began hitting up the parents, who, they reasoned, were more able to shoulder the debt loads. This created an unfair burden on the parents, and an entitlement mentality culture for the kids.
Therefore, as the parents, the school hit my husband and I up for most of one kids’ loans, which we are still paying off. The other one waited long enough (paying board while he still lived at home), that when he finally did decide to try college, he was past the age limit where the loans would be on the parents. Thus, they are all his, for which we as parents are grateful!