A few points to consider:
1) You don't have to rack up immense debt to get a decently high FICO score. Having four or five revolving charge accounts with balances in the $5 to $10 range is quite sufficient to build your FICO well into the 700s over time. I have a friend who is 19 with a FICO of 691...her credit history is about a year, and she has a couple credit cards and two store cards.
2) Along about FICO 760 or so, the FICO to interest rate curve goes asymptotic. In other words, increasing your FICO beyond the mid-700s has little effect on your interest rates. Beyond 800 or so, the curve is all but flat. Going from 775 to 850 might get you a mortgage rate 0.1% to 0.2% lower. That's it. The meaningful range for FICO is approximately 500 to 775. Below 500, no one's going to touch you for a mortgage or even most other forms of credit. Beyond 775, it's snob appeal--you're not going to get a significantly better deal beyond that. The most improvement in interest per FICO point is about 600 to 725.
3) All things considered, FICO tends to revert toward the mean, around the 700 mark. When you're 775 and up, FICO looks for an excuse to knock you down. That 30-day late that would have cost you 20 points at 600 will cost you 35 points at 700, 50 points at 775, and probably 75 points at 850. The same principle works in reverse. If you're at 500 and you keep on the straight and narrow for six months and pay your 5 revolving accounts on time, unless you're anchored by a recent baddie, FICO will probably give you a good 50 points of love. At 600, you might get 35 points. At 700, maybe 10 to 15 points. At 800, you'll likely tread water. Why? Reversion to the mean. The further above the mean you are, the harder it gets to climb and the easier it is to get knocked down. The further below...well, you can have a tough time getting the opportunity to prove yourself by getting revolving charge accounts to keep in good standing, but if you do, absent any anchors, you'll find your score rises quickly.