How To Graduate With Little Or No Debt

You are not alone if you dream about a life with no debts and starting off your career as soon as you graduate. However, your dreams can shatter if you do not follow some tips and tricks while you are in college. Having loads of debts is not fun, and it certainly is not ideal when you have to work for years so that you can pay off your loans. How wonderful it can be when you can just focus on building your life instead of paying back the money you borrowed in your past. Check this to know more about it. Have a look below for some of these tips.

  • Find Ways You Can Earn Money

Having a summer job is a must and not an option if you want to graduate debt-free. But what will you do when your semester starts? It is unwise to stop working even if it pays less. If nothing else, your job can cover your grocery bills and room rent. Your best bet is to work all year long. You do not have to work a large number of hours all the time necessarily. During summer, you can work more hours because you are free. During the school year, you can cut down your work hours and work up to 20 hours per week.  It will not affect your school in a major way. There are other multiple ways you can make money as a student. If it is possible, you can get a part-time job near or on your campus. For example, you can tutor other students on the subjects that you are well versed in. On the weekends, you can work for special events like football games, conferences. You can also look for colleges who have a Resident Advisor program. In the program, they cover your room and board. It will equal the tax-free income.

  • Be An Assistant

You can find many colleges that will offer you the opportunity to get your degree while doing research or helping some professor with their projects. You can do it in the department in which you want to study. This option will not only give you an opportunity to earn but also an opportunity to have hands-on experience in your chosen field. You will also be able to work for your degree as an RA or a TA.

  • Community

You can make up your early AP gains if you attend a local community college instead of some Ivy League. You will save a lot if you follow this path. You first few years in college are not as tough as the last ones, so spend them wisely by living at home with your parents, or if not, then by paying much cheaper rates. After you have saved some money, you get to transfer to whichever college you want to earn your final degree in. You will not have to borrow as much, and your life will be easier.

  • Apply For Aid

Take advantage of every aid opportunity that is available to you, because if you are not taking it, then you are making a grave mistake. Do not be scared of all the work that has to be put in to apply and fill in those forms; this work is better than working day and night to pay those bills. Apply for every possible funding program that you can such as parents’ employers, community service clubs, religious bodies, or philanthropic organizations. You will be thanking your stars after a few years!

Some wise decisions right now can lead to a tension-free life in future.

Written by Taylor Hill

Taylor Hill works for a financial technology company Stilt located in San Francisco which is revolutionizing the way individuals with limited or zero credit history get loans in the USA.

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