Student Loan Expert Tells All for MyDebtStory.com

This morning, Heather Jarvis, a student loan expert and notable blogger, shared her student debt story on her blog for our MyDebtStory.com project. Here's what she had to say:

I come from a long line of uneducated intellectuals. My sister and I are first generation college graduates. My parents never had money; it was student loans or nothing for us.

I borrowed $125,000 to pay for my legal education. Here's how that feels:

• I drive a Honda with 175,000 miles on it because I can afford it.
• I’ll be borrowing to help pay for my children’s educations long before my own student debt is retired.
• My monthly student loan payments are comparable to my monthly rent payment.
• I’ve been making these payments each month for 14 years, and I’ve got 16 more years left to go.
• Because of my mortgage-sized student debt, it doesn’t make sense for me to own a home.
• Sometimes I worry that I should be saving more for retirement.

Do I wish I had more disposable income? Absolutely. Do I think it’s a travesty that higher education is so expensive? Yes, I do. 

But you know what? I almost never regret borrowing all that money. I did it so that I could enjoy meaningful work and I got that. I’ve never once been bored in my career as a public interest lawyer and I help people every day. 

MyDebtStory.com is collecting our stories so we have a voice in important higher education policy debates. I tell my student debt story and it makes a difference. Your student debt story matters too. Share it today and you could win $5000! Tell a friend!