As is often the case here, my family’s experience differs from many (most?) in this thread.
My H and I both have advanced degrees in chemistry, and both of us still work in that field 30-plus years out of grad school. In my case, I actually worked in a completely different career for about 7 years, and frankly I was miserable – I didn’t realize how much I really enjoyed research until I left it.
My D is a CPA and loves it. Before entering college, she had a vague idea she might major in business (it appealed to her practical side), but she dismissed the idea of accounting because it seemed boring to her, at least from the outside. She took a required accounting class and fell in love with it. She swears now that she might switch employers but never (willingly) her career. I told her to never say never…
My purpose in posting is that some people DO find life-long careers in the area of their college major.
H and I both worked our way through school (back when you could do that) and were funded for grad school, so no loans for us. D had no loans, either.
…oh - and no one cares where I went to grad school or undergrad.