Reply to $80k In Debt Worth It for Ivy Undergrad?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Op, which state if your home state?  And what is your preferred job - what would you love to do if money wasn't an issue?[/quote]

I think I've already mentioned I'm from California.

I always said that if I had a trust fund I'd try to make it as a novelist or become some sort of community organizer or maybe an environmental educator. I know a wealthy Columbia grad who currently works in the Rockies leading middle school classes on environmental science (while taking them on adventure trips in nature), and I have to hide my jealousy of her.

But these are not exactly careers that easily translate into higher-paying alternatives. I guess there's technical writing or working at a non-profit, but at this point, those seem unappealing.                                                       [/quote]

[b]I think you need to start getting your head around the idea that most work is unappealing.[/b] There are a small handful of people who love what they do and never work a day in their life. But even novelists have to actually sit down and write their novels, even on the days they don't feel like it.

What you need to find is a job you can tolerate, basically. A schedule, workload, and tasks that aren't going to make you feel crazy or bad. It's easier said than done but I think at this stage you'd be better off looking for than than agonizing over whether to finish college. (Yes, you should finish. You'll bang out those $80k and be able to stop thinking about this.)

Do you like working a regular schedule? Do you have the stamina for a high intensity job or are you going to do better at a more laid back job? Do you like working from home, or in an office, or some combo of both? How much $ do you need to make to give yourself a decent life that you will enjoy (outside of what your parents want)? Do you need to be doing something with social good or are you just fine being in the for-profit sector? Do you care if people are impressed with what you do or is that not important to you? Etc.[/quote]

Another question: Do you like jobs that are essentially done solo by yourself at a computer, or do you want to be interacting with customers, sources, clients, or coworkers a lot? Do you want to be at a computer most of the time or do you want a more active job? [b]Are you looking to experiment with different jobs or are you trying to find yourself a spot where you can settle into a career, right away?[/b]

You're getting to the point you need to stop thinking about college and start thinking about the life you want for yourself after college.[/quote]

OP here. You are right that most work is unappealing. But at this point, I'm way too mentally ill/suicidal to hack it at a job that pays the bills but is unappealing. Idk, for once in my life, I'd like to have some control or autonomy or do something pleasant. I'm too depressed to not do something I enjoy but pays the bills.

The questions you're asking are important, and the last one especially stands out to me. I would love to experiment with different jobs, but I have to settle into a career right away. And that career probably won't check off most of my other boxes in terms of the question you asked, since[b] I'll have to take the highest-paying job available to me after graduation regardless of whether or not it suits me. This is because I'm about to take out $80k in loans, most of which will have high interest rates and little to no protections as most of the amount will be from private lenders. [/b]If I don't want to default on them, I'll have to take a high-paying job that will be WAY too intense for my tastes. [/quote]

OP - honestly if things are as bad as you keep saying you may be eligible for disability. I have a friend who is on disability due to depression and BPD. It's not easy to get - she had to go through a long process, with appeals - but it makes her life more tolerable. She also has a spouse with a decent job - he fixes trucks; he's not some Wall Street-er - but I would really, really recommend trying to find friends/partners who you feel safe with, too.

You've talked yourself into this deep hole.[b] I hope your therapist can help you understand that objectively your situation is not as terrible or doomed as it feels[/b].[/quote]

I think taking out $80k in mostly predatory private student loan lenders is terrible. [/quote]

They will be gone in 10 years. You're not cutting off your arm forever. Or don't do it and enroll at a cheaper school! But you will have some loans coming out, so just build that into your plans and understanding of what you will be doing for the next 10 years.

I paid off $160k in loans over 20 years while working mainly as a writer, and not some fancy highly paid writer either. Not recommended! But trust me if I can do this you can do it. 
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^ And just to add - my best friend paid off something like $100k in loans while working as a social worker. There are a lot of people paying off a lot of loans out there. We're not all investment bankers. Sure it's harder when you make less! But this is life, man! You have to stop blaming your parents and stop feeling like there's one thing for you to do and everything else is impossible. At some point you have to act! Or apply for disability. I really do think that is something you should consider if things are as bad as you keep saying (and I am not doubting your account of your life,[b] but the things you keep saying about how life is after college just don't comport with what most of us have actually experienced - you have a very theoretical understanding of life!).[/b]
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I will most likely be graduating into a recession. Taking out $80k in loans for an English degree is objectively an ill-advised decision. What would the Columbia Class of 2008 have to say about my situation?[/quote]

Columbia Class of 2008 would tell you to avail yourself of all of the resources available at their Career Services Center,  and sign up for on campus interviews.  If you live frugally for a few years, you’ll knock out those loans.

I’m not encouraging you to do this, mind you, simply answering your questions. But I will urge you to find out if you will continue to have access to the career support services at Columbia — even if you don’t end up graduating from Columbia. As a Yale grad, I’ve been startled by the  resources that continue to be available to me as an alum.  
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