Do you need to be rich to work in academia?

Posted this in r/AskTeenGirls and r/EscapingPrisonPlanet, but I thought I'd also get some opinions here! Thanks so much to the two redditors who responded so far. <br><br>My teacher is trying to convince me to go to university instead of trade school. He says that trade school will stunt my potential, but I feel like university might severely set me back financially. I've heard even getting a Ph.D. won't save me from poverty & student loans, but I've also heard someone needs a Ph.D. to even be qualified to work at a university. <br><br>Are there any professionals who work at university who aren't professors or teaching assistants, who don't need a Ph.D., and who will be paid enough to not have to live paycheck to paycheck? Like, for instance, is a librarian paid well? Or what about university IT? Do they get paid much at all? <br><br>Thanks for any help.