Then I did the impossible 6 years ago. :) In Alabama, no less!

I worked through high school, saved several thousand, had a little pay-as-you-go flip phone, an old $1500 car, and rarely ever saw the inside of a restaurant.

All I know is, it worked for me.

That said, costs have been going up... so sure, it does cost more now. If I didn't have the money for a semester, I'd have just had to take less credit hours. Not optimal, but not the end of the world. And much better than paying thousands in interest for a loan.

Alabama may have a lower minimum wage, making it take longer to earn enough to pay for a year of tuition, but they also have a much lower cost of living than most of the country and that's not taken into account in that chart.

You also forget that for a large number of people, that just doesn't work out. Some of us have to help out our parents when we work (yes, even in high school), and that $1500 car could just as easily cost you thousands in repairs as save you money. Add in health problems or other unexpected but vital expenses and you could really be screwed.

College really doesn't have to cost this much, and it DIDN'T cost this much until very recently. Both the professors and the students are getting a raw deal now, and the fact that you were able to limp your way through school by working a lot and occasionally going less than full-time doesn't change any of that.