How I Paid Off My Student Loans
No travel, lots of privilege, working weekends, and avoiding adulthood
Ok, boomer, we’ve heard you: Millennials are the worst. We’ve murdered the napkin industry in cold blood. We told Big Dog Food that our precious fur babies deserve more than kibbles or bits. And we’re not giving you grandchildren for selfish reasons like being too broke and also not wanting to bring children onto a planet that doesn’t have enough clean air for everyone.
Sociopaths, all of us.
But you’ve got to admit, Old Economy Steve, that one way millennials have been uniquely burdened is student debt. These numbers don’t lie. Members of my generation are more educated, more productive, yet we earn less than previous generations did at our age. That means it takes us approximately forever to pay off the debts we incurred as teenagers.
When I enrolled in college at age 17, I didn’t realize that my debt would haunt me into my adult life. How could I? Every force around me, from my well-meaning family to my overworked guidance counselor, told me that I could just take out loans, pay for school, graduate, and then pay them back…
