Like you, all I heard when I was a kid was "go to college." I was the first person in my family to graduate with a 4-year degree ... and it was in .... communications/journalism (not even viable now!). My family had no money. No one in my family taught me anything about finances, viable majors or careers. And yet:
- I graduated with no student debt, because I did comm college for 2 years, then VT, IN THE 80S when college was cheap (and I owned a used station wagon that I bought for $100)
- I took course overloads for half of my quarters; one quarter I took 21 hours and had to get the provost's approval, because I HAD to graduate in 4 years or no $$$
- I lost 25 lbs in college, because all i could afford to eat many times was rice and a vegetable
- I freelanced for newspapers during college, and had a job offer in April of my senior year with a paper I freelanced with
- After graduating, I lived at home for 2 years to save money instead of buy a $150k house, and with that money I bought my first car and then moved to CA because I wanted to live there
- I found a job in PR within 3 weeks, and had a great time for 2 years
- I earned an MA as a graduate assistant - worked 20 hours week for the school, education was free
- I found a job one month after graduating, and have risen up the ranks for 30 years

I waited, and saved and worked hard, and outside of what I learned in school, no one taught me how to do this nor did I expect anyone to do so. Now I am (hopefully) a few years fro retirement, because while I had less than $500 to my name at age 27, I have saved consistently for decades and invested in my 401(k).

It can be done.