Unfortunately student loans are almost unavoidable if you are going to a really good school (ie anything with a better brand than a community college). But student loans are also the most toxic debt you can have right along with child support. You cant bankrupt out of them and if you default the consequences are getting more and more severe as the years go by. I would minimize how much you take out and live at home if at all possible and pay them back as soon as you get a real job ASAP.
As long as those loans are creeping in the back ground as soon as you have a job loss or some other thing happen they will be there wanting their money and they have ruthless means of getting it and can make your life hell if your are broke. Think unemployed men and child support level of hell.
Fortunately at least with student loans you can control how much you take out.
I am paying mine off in the next few months because I am making good money, but none of us know when the good money will run dry and the last thing I need is student loans calling me and suspending all my licenses, passports, etc.
If you are getting a good brand name education that will get your foot in the door for a truly good job then work study is not going to cut it, tuition is too high these days. Unless your parents live right next to campus you are going to have to commute and if you are working on top of that to pay 5% of your tution that's time you could be studying so that you don't have student loans AND no degree. That is the ultimate nightmare you want to avoid.
your starbucks manager is not responsible for your loans or your grades so make sure that you show up when you show up and that they understand school comes first. If they want to run you hard they need to pay more than 5$ an hour. If they want you to adhere to a ridged schedule ask them to cosign for your loans, that will shut them up.
Its not a good idea for anyone to be in debt, not just Christians but our society is built on debt, it will eventually fall apart like a house of cards but the people running the show are really smart and I believe they will keep it going until I am old. All of my friends thought the dollar was going to collapse like 5 years ago and it still hasn't and there is no catalyst on the horizon that will expedite it.
