Myself...unless I had a ton of scholarships, I would think about it twice. Get a trade...then work your way thru college. I can't imagine starting life $50,000 (or more) in debt.
If you have the right program, you can be making 50k while you are going to college.
I had my college education sidetracked by the Vietnam draft issues and ended up in the construction business. There aren’t many fields where you can approach and bust across six figures without a degree but construction is one where it is possible. It is also one of the few where being self taught and OJT is respected and valued.
A young engineer is sometimes actually at a disadvantage. Education does not take into account the actual dynamic of the risk of performance and the general means and methods.