Endurance is Synonymous with Student Loans

As the economic climate continues to get negative then positive then negative again, students rely more and more on loans for higher education. With colleges taking you to the bank, and living expenses increasing as part-time jobs dwindle, student funds have dried up and the loan companies are waiting for the the lambs to come strolling in. That is the situation presently, but when I accrued all my loans however, none of these factors really weighed into the bloated loan accumulation I currently have.

I was lucky that during the time when I requested my loans the economy was still riding the housing bubble and in overall good standing. Lenders were going wild with loans and if your credit scores and income levels were horrible money was still flying around everywhere, and that qualified you. In fact you were qualified if you could make the minimum payment, no other requirement was truly needed. A 22 year-old college student was no exception to this demographic and my greedy eyes soon realized that I could request as many loans as I really needed. This mindset that I had, I believe set the stage for the economic collapse. My small actions were a microcosm for what the United States was feeling about money. It was pure, simple, and uncensored greed.

So between the ages of 22 and 24 I took out as many private loans as I could for my school. These loans were through to major players one being Campus Door which is no longer in existence. Campus Door was actually the code name of Lehman Brother's student loan lending department, which of course as we all know folded completely. Eventually Wellsfargo bought some of Lehman Brother's asset's and now I deal with them for all my loan needs. Chase was the other private lender I went through, and they have been the good cop in this interrogation.

Currently my financial state is not the greatest I will admit, so of course I have been unable to make any sort of dent in my student loans. Due to this inadequacy of payment I have been in consistent communication with each loan company. Each interaction with them is mildly hilarious and awkward. Typically they rattle off a bunch of reasons for calling me, and the courtesy of it all. I am appreciative of their hilarity as they try to collect money from me or ask why my payment is late. Here is a sample from one:

Phone rings, I answer it hesitantly.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Patrick Marsh?"
"Yup, it is."
"Hi Patrick, this is Gloria from Wellsfargo how are you?"
Insert dead silence mixed with typical identity verification by the customer service person here.
"I was wondering if you would be able to make a payment to your student loan today?"
"Nope I am afraid I can't do that, I have no extra money for that."
"Oh, well, when did you think you would be able to make a payment?"
"Not for some time, not many hours are available at my work and I don't get paid that much."
"Have you considered working someplace else?"
"Yes, but I am hesitant to leave my job is this financial environment."
"Yes, yes, I understand Mr. Marsh for sure, have you thought about a promotion?"

"A promotion?"
"Yeah, some sort of advancement."
"Tried for one but didn't' get it."
"Did you make a convincing case?"
"What?"
"How hard did you try for your promotion?"
"Uh, well you see, uh, how is that relevant?"
"I just need to fill out this note completely and accurately."
"Okay, I guess"
"So when do you think you'll be able to pay it?"
"When things turn around a little bit for me."
"When will that be?"
"Excuse me?"
"When do you expect to be able to make your payments?"
"I don't know."
"Okay Mr. Marsh, I'll be calling again in the next few days to see when you be able to make that payment."
"Actually, actually, wait, wait, I might be able to make like a twenty dollar payment."
"Twenty dollar payment Sir?"
"Yeah, would that prevent you from calling me for a little while?"
"Yes."

A little awkward to say the least. Obviously Gloria from Wellsfargo is not a bad person simply doing her job, another personality casualty in this see of economic turmoil. Obviously my partially completed college degree in creative writing is not netting a huge amount of success, at least not enough to keep the beasts at bay. Do I hope that my writing someday will eventually produce enough wealth for me to live comfortably? Of course, that is an aspect of endurance, which is the key in surviving student loans.

It may not seem like this even though the media always says how horrible the economic situation is, but take solace in the fact that many people are in horrible debt from student loans. Misery does love company, it is the only thing to keep serious stress and depression away. When I look at my student loan totals I wonder about what I could have for this same amount. Shouldn't I be living in a house boat? Or own a fabulous car? Perhaps a computer that is so powerful I can look into people's brains?

I do wish I had these things, but I don't, and that is okay simply because I have endurance. I have the endurance to prevent myself from being depressed or stressed out by such a diabolical situation that so many people share. You can always make more money, make more payments. Sacrificing peace of mind and your mental health for student loans is not the method to have, focus on endurance. Such a lengthy amount of time to create the loans equal a large amount of time to pay them back. Endurance is the key, endurance.