While I agree college is too expensive and and 30 percent of it is a waste of money because of the general education requirements, what fields of study are not attainable without incurring less than $30,000 total debt max over the course of the college education?
"Not attainable" is a strong qualifier, but I can think of several that are difficult or rare to achieve without a four year degree that cost more than $30,000. And to
@knapplc's point, there are quite a few necessary ones that are part of a high functioning society.
1) Doctor/surgeon/etc.
2) Journalist/reporter (I've only met a few journalists in my life that didn't go to a four year college, and I've been in the media industry for almost a decade. They're rare.)
3) Lawyers
4) Most engineering and advanced engineering fields, architects
5) Teachers/college professors
6) Most marketing professionals
7) Actuaries
I'm all for pushing people to trade schools or community colleges and the like, but anybody wanting the above mentioned either has to a) hope they're really smart and get it all paid for or b) pay out their a$$ and incur monstrous debt. Some are fortunate enough to pay it off within 5-10 years of employment. Others are not, as we all know.
Journalists might be the most abused of that group from a salary perspective. Often can't get a job without a four year degree in broadcasting journalism, and then an employer wants to pay $25-$30k right out of school. I had friends in 2013 getting hired at $20,000 in Lincoln, Neb., to be a journalist.