When I graduated from Drexel University in 2009 with a degree in engineering, I was 23 and had $200 in my bank account.
I was subletting a small studio apartment in Philadelphia with two other engineers. Out of the three of us, I came out by far the least scathed — I had about $55,000 in student loans. This was after receiving grants, scholarships, and help from my parents every year.
The loan burden: My roommates each had over $100,000 to repay. One of them currently waits tables on weekends on top of having a full-time engineering job. He’s been doing it since we graduated in an admirable effort to pay down his student loan debt.Continue reading