I paid for my oldest child's college on the go. The month after she graduated, I retired from my federal job (with 25 years in at age 50, I qualified for an immediate - albeit significantly reduced - pension). I have a 529 for my remaining child that will almost cover tuition at the state school where she has been accepted. I have taken a part-time job (14-20 hrs/week) at Home Depot (I am also learning a LOT about house maintenance and repair - a win for me) to pay for books, room and board. My kid also has a part-time job.
I understand where many readers are coming from when they say they are telling their kids they have to finance their own college education. That said, the expenses associated with a college education (and the expenses associated with failing to get one) have shot up immensely, and the economy has changed for the worse.
If your kid isn't lucky enough to want to go into one of the skilled trades (electrician, plumber, etc), there is little out there for them with just a high school degree. One example is the federal agency where I used to work - we rarely hired office assistants (formerly called secretaries) who did not have a college degree. And financing a college degree is more difficult - my dad managed to do it by working a full-time job in the summer, and part-time jobs during the school year. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a town with a good community college or university and parents who are willing to have you live with them, this is no longer possible.
I've read it before on this forum, but college debt is the worst kind of indentured servitude. I don't know whether my kids are going to be successful at what they dream of doing, but I at least want to give them a chance to try.