If you go to college, does that always mean life-long debt?

Depends if you choose a high paying STEM job or a useless fluff course like women studies.

Nah. Most of those who go into debt from college/universities either didn't have a choice but to get a student loan, or have little knowledge of grants, scholarships, etc and how to apply for them. In some rare cases, policies at colleges/universities can change during the year, making students suddenly owe the school somehow; thus casting them into minor or major debt.

I think it depends on what you majored in and whether or not you were able to find employment. Someone who went to med school and found employment soon after probably wouldn't have much difficulty in paying off their debt.

There's also the option of students receiving grants and scholarships. What's covered and for how long varies, but they will help the student regardless.

Depends what country you live in. Some countries have free tuition.

You can save a lot of money by going to community college and then transferring to a public college to finish your undergraduate's degree. As someone mentioned already, living at home can save you a lot of money.

If you finish high school and go straight to some private university for some useless degree like art and get a loan...then yeah you'll end up with a ton of debt and likely a low paying job.

Look into grants and scholarships to help you pay for college. And don't buy into the myth that you need to go straight to a 4-year university. There's nothing wrong with going to community college.

Going to a public college and living at home can minimize possible debt