"she began her airline career with a regional carrier, where the starting salary can be less than $20,000 a year for a first officer"
I guess the real question, given that the article mentions up to $100k costs for training (unless you go for the government subsidized route - i.e. the military), is why is anyone an airline pilot?
At that point they become interns/residents and earn less than waiters for several years. After that is when they make their money back. Depending on which specialty (if any) they may make it back in spades. Top-notch surgeons can clear $500k-$1m+ a year.
Pilots in their early years are interns/residents. They've shelled out for their tuition, just like medical school, and now they're getting paid not in cash but in logged hours. After a few years those hours will translate to higher salaries.
More: http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/06/16/pilot-pay-want-to...
Not even close...that's what just a normal bachelor grad tends to have(well those that go to private schools).
For a doctor, those numbers are much more closer to 250-300K.
And that's not even the worst part...once they graduate and get their medical degree...they have to do their residency, which means they spend a few more years working for peanuts while their debt continues growing.
Now, a small number of people get into huge amounts of debt but it's uncommon because normally it's irrational behavior. Going to a big name school is much like buying a Prada handbag there are upsides and a lot of social pressure to do so, but for most people it's simply a bad idea.
PS: The best case for Harvard is vary good, but so is buying a lottery ticket. Once you consider a wider range of outcomes and risk vs reward things shift. EX: Consider what happens if you don't like being a Doctor?