[Nevermark]

> I know this isn't a popular thing to say, but when you're 18 it's time to take responsibility for your choices

I don’t think that’s unpopular or the least bit controversial. Obvious, no?

But ending the story there isn’t productive. So perhaps it is not a popular reason to not consider other factors & improvements.

Individual lack of conscientiousness isn’t the only factor.

Students being handed loans, for whatever ill thought out career plan, with no immediate need for payback, facilitated by market warping government encouragement, schools whose incentive is obvious (they get most of that money), and banks who see students as easy marketing targets, is a systematic upfront incentive/road to the original ill thought out career plan, but now saddled with overwhelming debt.

Such a colossal amount of economically mismatched careers and debt that the topic is a regular subject of national politics.

There is an entire system of active influence, causality, conflicts of interest & responsibility there too.