Leading up to graduation, all of the advice I received about student loans from friends, family and even professors was the same: Don't worry so much. Defer them. Minimize the payments. Or, try to avoid them altogether.
I didn't like that advice.
So, this week, I started doing some research online. I watched home videos and news reports and read articles and blogs and found something very upsetting: much of the advice was the same. More about government programs and deferment options or certain jobs that relieve debt. I really didn't find much advice out there for paying off student loan debt, just getting out of it.
I came across one quote about avoiding debt that really pissed me off and summarized the whole mindset behind not paying what you owe. It said:
"Don't be kept from living the life you deserve"
Wow, that's really nice and empowering and inspirational and- wait, what life do you deserve?! Was receiving the education in the field you chose at the college you chose and living the lifestyle you chose not what you deserved?!
College was great. I absolutely loved every minute. But I am fully aware that I could have made better decisions concerning my university (expensive!), my degree (it sure isn't Accounting...) and the amount I earned and spent while there (alotta money went towards gas, cigarettes and booze. I mean... not booze. I went to Anderson University! We don't... drink...).
And I'm not alone. One report I found estimated that the average college student spent about as much on off-campus housing, alcohol, food and entertainment in their 4 years at school as the amount of loans they took out!
Why does everyone my age have to feel so entitled?
I had my years of glorious irresponsibility, unforgettable memories and, ya know, a higher education! How could anyone think that should come at no cost? (Certainly, in part, because of our parents' generation teaching us the wonderful uses and abuses of credit and how much we were given growing up buuutt, that's another topic...)
Even if you feel like student loans are an injustice, there is the simple reality that they don't go away. Yes, there are government programs that will relieve student loans after 20 years or so, but do you really want to be making school payments into your 40's?! I don't!
I know that I want live debt-free. I want to be able to go where I please, travel the world and build my own tiny house. But I also know that I have responsibilities right now. So, for now, my plan is to earn and pay as much as humanly possible, as soon as possible.
I'll be back on a hammock in Costa Rica someday. Just not yet.
