Student Loans + Deferments + Overseas Jobs

Some people think student loans are bad and tend to I agree with them somewhat. It sucks when you are just starting out your life, but you are saddled with all that debt which many people feel cripples them. When I got my MA in 1984, I owed some $15K. In the 1980ies, it was a pretty big sum of money. I did work part time when I was in college but it did not cover all the tuition. I went to a state college which was relatively cheap but I still ended up with a financial a burden of the loan on my back. However, in times of economic hardship, I kept applying for deferments, forbearances, and then, I included other countries in my repayment efforts. When Japan was booming economically, I got a job there, and my monthly payments on these loans became insignificant because salaries in Japan were high and taxes were low. I was able to save money, pay off a big chunk of what I owed ,and when I lost my job in Japan, I was still able to apply for some more forbearance. Then, when jobs in Saudi Arabia turned up, the loans were paid very quickly because salaries there were even bigger than in Japan. I have a friend who was a lawyer and who had enormous debts. By being able to consolidate them and then by going to work in Saudi and Iraq, he paid them down and got to the point where a monthly payment was very little and where it did not affect his life in any big way. So, if you have such loans, consider all types of consolidating, deferment and forbearance options as well as working in rich countries overseas. That will help you get rid of the load or at least make it bearable.