When I got accepted to my university of choice in LA, I knew I would never be able to afford to pay the tuition by myself. Growing up in a single parent home, my brother and I were raised by our father. As a refugee of Vietnam, my father never had the opportunity to go to school and educate himself because he needed to help financially support his family of…hella kids.

Basically, my father always stressed the importance of education. Studies have shown that education is correlated to your socioeconomic status. With a degree under your belt, there are more doors of opportunity that are open to you. Although loans are a bitch to payback, you just got to keep in mind that you are investing in your future feel me? One should not have to go through college stressing about where you will get the money to pay for this quarter’s tuition fees. You just got to work hard and be confident in yourself and your abilities that you will find a job when you graduate, you will have a source of income to payback your loans.

It is a bit intimidating when you begin to receive collection phone calls, but shiet, that’s what the ignore button on your cell is for, haha. Naw real talk though, just make sure that you get your payment in on time. If it means that you got to cut back on some spending expenses, well than do it because you need to pay back them loans or your credit will get fucked up.

And you know, there are some alternatives to defer your loans after graduation. In this economy, loan companies are aware that it is hella hard to find a job no matter where you got your degree. You might feel you the only one struggling to pay back your loans, but in actuality, there are hella heads going through the same thing you going through. That’s why it is always important to give your loan company a call and ask for deferment options.

One option that I am currently choosing is becoming a part-time student. When you become a part-time or full-time student, most loan companies will defer your loans until you are done. One of the good things about being a part-time student is that you can also find a part-time job. There are more part-time jobs out there nowadays because basically employers ain’t trying to pay the employee along with full-time benefits…they being hella shady like that now, so part-time jobs are more in demand because in terms of labor, it is cheaper for the employer.

However, you should not take advantage of the deferment situation. Although you may have a couple of months of worry free, you must still be on your hustle to find a job and save at least a coo fraction of what you earn. By having some money saved, you can have something to fall back on in emergencies. Trust, it is doable, but it is an ability you must work at otherwise you will just spend that saved money on some dumb shiet.

Mr. Ron Richardson, I am glad you brought up this topic because I feel that many people, no matter what your ethnic background may be, can relate to being in debt.