My Escape from Private Student Loan Debt

Greetings, everyone. I came across this reddit earlier today, and I thought I would
share my story with the internet. I am choosing to remain anonymous, and I am hopeful
that my wish to remain anonymous will be respected by the users of this website. I am
writing because I want everyone to know about my perilous struggle with student loan
debt, my efforts to work with the people involved in the collection of it (despite their
unwillingness to compromise with me), and the sacrifices I underwent to ensure that I
never (willingly) paid them a single god damned dime for the entirety of their shelf life.
This is not some glorious Fuck the man! story, but rather, a brutally honest, well-detailed
story of my life and my debt struggle the past several years. It is my hope that this story
will go viral, and that people will, whether you agree or disagree with my actions, at least
get to talking about the invisible elephant in the room; inescapable, overwhelming, legallybacked student loan debt, and its inability to be discharged by the average American.

Part 1: Completing school, and the onset of the debt

Lets begin with graduation. I was a student at Clemson University, and before my
final semester of school, I simply ran out of money and the credit with which to borrow
more money. I was 9 credits shy of graduating with a degree, when I was informed that I
had reached my debt limit by the banks. Previously, I had co-signed under my mother and
grand-mother, and thanks to their combined credit scores, myself, my brother, and my
sister were all able to attend college. However, my grandmother had unfortunately passed
away before we were able to complete our education, and my mother had to file
bankruptcy, as a result of taking on too much debt herself while trying to support and

assist us with our expenses. We all worked full-time throughout our entire time in college
as well, mainly in an effort to support our day to day living costs. However, between being
full-time students and our general academic costs, our paltry $7.25/hr jobs were nowhere
near enough to afford our tuitions (Mine was roughly $28,000ish a year, my brothers
$44,000ish, and my sisters was $24,000ish), textbooks, lab fees, rent, utilities bills, etc.
If youve never been to Clemson, you should know that its essentially a street long with
12 bars, a few restaurants, and a post office; proximal employment is INCREDIBLY limited.
As such, meaningful work is incredibly scarce for most majors, unless youre an engineer;
there are numerous engineering opportunities within 15 miles of the university. During my
time, I managed the Sociology research lab, and worked at a Zaxbys full time; my
monthly earnings were roughly $1100, and I was either in-class or at work 90 hours a
week. Even with all of this, I was not able to keep up with my tuition costs.
Realizing that an ALMOST college degree would simply not suffice, I had no
choice but to turn to the University directly. I begged and implored the University to work
with me, citing how many sacrifices I had made to merely remain an enrolled student. For
starters, I was literally living homeless in the school library for 3 months. Since I couldnt
afford rent, I had to be resourceful. Id sleep in the basement at night, where it was quiet.
Id sneak into the cafeteria with large groups in order to get food for myself (as I didnt
have a meal plan). For hygiene, Id go to the schools gym every morning and work out,
and then use the showers there. The biggest challenge was laundry, which Id literally
complete by finding change around the campus and the downtown area throughout the
month, and then wash what was MOST necessary in the freshman dorms laundry sections.
I downsized all my possessions into a singular, large book-bag, as I didnt have anywhere
to put my things. It was roughly 7 pairs of clothes, and that was it. When I finally felt like I
couldnt make it anymore, I went to see the undergrad Dean of students and told him how

I had been living for the past 4 months, and that it had taken its toll on me, and that even
though I wanted to finish, I just couldnt handle it anymore. The man smiled, walked out of
his office, went downstairs to the student bookstore, and came back up with a bag. Inside
the bag were 2 sticks of deodorant, a toothbrush, a razor, some toothpaste, a Twix Bar, a
pack of gum, and $100 stuffed inside the gum packet. I literally fought back the tears and
hugged the man, because it was the first time I felt like a human being again for the first
time in months. Were going to nip this in the butt; you come back in 2 days, and well

find a solution. he said to me. When I came back, he had found me sanctuary in a
church for the duration of my education, which had a bunk bed, bathroom, and laundry
machine. As a result, I continued to pursue my education as best as I could.
After speaking with the school directly and with the Deans backing, thankfully,
Clemson believed in their student body, and as a result, they loaned me the difference in
what I owed and I was able to complete my education. I graduated with a Bachelors
degree in Psychology, and a minor in Communication Studies. However, a week before
graduation, I had an interview with my debt counselor, who informed me, quite grimly that
...youre going to have to pay nearly $980 a month, minimum, and that it was vital that
I re-finance my loans as soon as I had acquired meaningful employment. No problem. I
thought to myself; my degree will help me land a job paying at least 35k a year; I can
budget accordingly.
The problem, however, wasnt my will to pay off the loans; it was a combination of
factors that would ultimately stonewall me. I moved to Washington DC with a friend of
mine, under the mutual understanding that Id be couch-surfing until I got a few checks
under my belt. Once I was set, Id start slowly scaling up my payments towards utilities,
and then towards rent, and then wed finally even it out to a set 50/50 split. It was a

huge favor to ask, but one that was obliged. Besides, it was Washington D.C.; I was
bound to be able to find some type of work! The median salaries in DC were substantially
higher than they were in SC for someone of my educational background, and by splitting
the costs and saving up some base capital via couch-surfing, Id be able to make my
payments with no problem assuming I was making 35,000; which was considered
poverty by my friend who had already resided there for 2 years. I dont think my
expectations were that of an entitled person, or even particularly ludicrous, either; that
seemed like a reasonable salary expectation for a college graduate with a 4 year degree.
Unfortunately, life rarely goes as we plan for it. For starters, there just were not any
jobs that I could come across that were paying enough for me to meet my bottom line, or
that had an interest in my background. It turns out that having work experience limited to
on-campus jobs and fast food are, in fact, not marketable to the area. As a result, I
started the vicious cycle of job hunting. Every day, EVERY DAY, I got on the metro and
went downtown. I explored business after business, temp agency after temp agency,
building after building; any time I wasnt spending walking around downtown on foot was
spent filling out job applications online. I started off by trying out for overly-ambitious roles;
jobs that I wasnt experienced with prior, but confident that I could handle, if given the
opportunity. After 3 weeks, I lowered my standards to jobs I knew I could do and that I
was qualified for, but that would be paying less than my desired pay-rate. After another 4
weeks, I started to become flustered and desperate, and I even started putting in for lowwage jobs which would certainly not afford me the luxury of paying my student loans back,
but would at least alleviate some of the now-strenuous financial burden that my friend was
enduring on my behalf. You might imagine my surprise when, after 11 weeks, I had only
received 3 interviews; none of which offered me a job, citing my lack of work experience

as a flaw. Bear in mind that, by this time, I was already applying for entry-level jobs out of
desperation; if I am not qualified for an entry level job, what, exactly, AM I qualified for?
One night, I finally had told my friend that I need to go out, man. Just one night,

we have to relax; Im losing my shit and so angry and confused and depressed that I can
barely stand it anymore., and he understood. He had seen how much I was trying to
make things work, and how I just could not seem to get that one lucky break that I
needed to get on my feet. We went out to U Street, and we got absolutely obliterated with
some of his-coworkers. One of them picked up the entire companys tab, and we headed
out of the bar, drunk and happy (even if only for a few hours), to our next destination. My
friend wanted to go see a girl, and I wanted to go to sleep.

You sure youre gonna be able to make it home alright? asked me.
Of course man, whats the worst that could happen? I replied to him.
But the worst was about to happen. On my way home, I was jumped by 4 guys,
and they beat the shit out of me. It was so bad that I didnt even know what had
happened. I was spotted lying on the side of the road in a ditch by my friends co-worker
at 4 a.m; for hours, people just drove right by as I laid on the side of the road in a ditch,
bleeding and unconscious. The loot for the muggers was a commanding $11, and my
$30 loaner cell phone. I returned home after the incident for a few weeks to heal and
recover. After recuperating, I returned to the city, this time more determined than ever, to
make it in DC. My first day back in Washington DC, I was walking down a main street
with my friend, when 3 people approached us, unveiled their firearms, and pointed their
weapons at our heads. Let me see the bunny ears mother fucker! the main mugger said
to us. They were clearly minors, probably under the age of 16, but they had the drop on
us. I couldnt even believe it; I was back in DC for 1 day, and I was already attacked

again. This setback was too great to ignore, and as such, I returned home to live with my
parents. I thanked my friend repeatedly for his offering of hospitality to me over the
previous few months, but I told him I had to write this expedition off at a loss. I would be
leaving DC for the second time in 1 month, defeated and empty-handed, and more afraid
of the world then I had ever been before in my life.
However, when it rains, it pours and upon returning home, I became incredibly ill.
I had somehow managed to contract mono, pneumonia, and the flu simultaneously. I was
bed-ridden for nearly 6 months. By now, I had not made a single dollar, nor a single
payment on my student loans, and they called me and to try and get to the bottom of why
I was so delinquent in my payments. I talked with them on the phone, and updated them
on my situation. They agreed to give me a medical forbearance. THANK GOD! I thought
to myself; there is some compassion with the banks! But what I didnt know at the time
was just how monstrously you get fucked when you enter a forbearance. Your loans
accumulate interest at a rapidly accelerating pace, and suddenly, my loans approximating
to $110,000 were already up to $126,000. Jesus Christ, I need to find a job. NOW! I
remember thinking, as the panic was starting to set in. It would still be another 3 months
before I felt capable of working, and even then, it was in a very limited capacity. If youve
never had mono, imagine being completely and totally physically exhausted after being
awake for 30 minutes, every single day, for months. Now, imagine trying to stay
productive/conscious at a workplace environment for 8 hours a day; it is night impossible.
When I finally did find a job, it was an $8.00/hr job, with no benefits. I was bringing
home roughly $1000 a month meaning that if I paid my student loans, Id have roughly
$20 a month to my name. I called my creditors and told them there was no possible way
for me to afford even the bare minimum required for my student loan payments, and they

told me to do whatever I could manage. I tried to reason with them, and my complaints
fell on deaf ears.
At this point, I had sought out an attorney. I was confident that I could possibly file
bankruptcy on the loans, citing medical hardship and physical duress. The attorney
laughed at me, and told me The only way student loans go away is by paying them off,

or dying. Theres not a court in the land that will discharge them. Dont even bother. You
might imagine my reaction and my surprise when I realized that a person can, in fact, rack
up the debts for drugs and gambling and discharge them they can max out their credit
cards and discharge them they can discharge medical debts if they are deemed
impossible to payoff they can bankrupt multiple times and discharge that debt, too. What
they cant, or should I say, wont, do, however, is provide relief for students who, despite
their best intentions, fall between the cracks after graduation. I was now 15 months in, and
I hadnt paid even a single cent to the debt collectors, and the tone of the conversation
was about to start changing. Its essential that you understand that this was not due to an
unwillingness to work, but rather an inability to generate enough revenue to pay the bare
minimum amount that was required to hit the interest. This meant that I wasnt even
putting a dent in the principle amount; I would merely be ensuring that I was maintaining a
-$110,000.00 balance owed.

Part 2: Threats from Debt Collectors, Lawyers, and Government Agencies

It turns out that once you fall into the delinquent phases of student loan debt, that
there is nothing sacred anymore. You can bank on those 8:00 a.m. phone calls every
single day from Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, Chase Bank, etc; they are going to become a
routine part of your life. They will never leave a message, and if you do answer and

explain your situation, youre quickly going to realize that your well-being and
circumstances are given absolutely zero credence or consideration. I pleaded my case
with multiple representatives, and I was always accused of not trying hard enough.

Surely you have someone who can lend you some money
You signed the dotted line; your excuses have no place here.
Your financial irresponsibility is not my problem; collecting the debts you owe is.
Those are just some of the NICER examples of exact phrases that I would hear. At
no point was it considered possible that I had personal problems; I was simply a lazy,
slack-jawed fuckwad who was being lazy and entitled. I informed them I was robbed, and
hospitalized, and that I was trying, but that I could barely afford to pay for my day-to-day
expenses as it was. But no one wanted to hear it; all I would get is more threats, more
promises to take things away from me, more legal mumbo-jumbo swearing to make me
pay, and with interest. I have never been more distressed in my life than during the first
90 days of this aggressive policy shift; I can remember sitting in my room, crying, on more
than one occasion, as they threatened to take the money back via my family.
Then the letters began. The letters are easily my least favorite part, because they
are literally nothing beyond threats. Well-worded, eloquently poised threats. Things that
read along the lines of:

If you dont pay, well sue you.

If you dont pay the full sum in 30 days well repossess your property
If you dont pay, well suspend your license and garnish your paychecks.
If you dont pay, well destroy your credit and go after your familys assets.

If you arent getting the picture, then let me help paint it for you; signing up for a
student loan you cant pay back is literally forfeiting your rights as a human being, and
agreeing to be the victim of government-backed extortion. When these letters started
coming in, I remember my mother having panic attacks, crying, threatening to throw me
out of the house and onto the streets if I caused trouble for the family. I didnt know what
else to do, so I wrote them, begging for mercy, asking for a discharge for my loans, citing
that I simply was incapable of paying even the minimal amount every month. I apologized
100 times over, saying I was so sorry that I couldnt honor my obligations, but that I had
nearly died twice in the past 2 years, and that literally nothing had gone my way. I heard
nothing for several days, until I finally received a phone call from the most ruthless debt
collector I ever came across. While this is not verbatim, this is as close as I and my family
members can recall:

Is this _____?
Yes, that would be me; may I ask which agency youre with?
Well, lets be honest _____, does it matter? Its not like youve been paying
anyone anyway, now have you? So let me cut to the chase. You better start producing
something, something substantial, in the next 48 hours. I can see youve been working at
_____ for 3 months now, and if youre telling me you dont have enough to pay us, Im
telling you that youre a liar.
.excuse me?
Thats right, ______. We have tried to contact you numerous times, and you have
dodged all of our inquiries. So Im going to inform you right now, we intend to reclaim our
losses. If you dont pay us a sum of, lets say $1,000, in the next 48 hours, well start

taking more aggressive action. You can bet your ass that were already seizing your tax
return this year, so I wouldnt wait around for that, buddy.
Sir, I have written your agency plenty of times, and I have detailed why I cant
pay. Its not a matter of will; its that theres no way I can affo-
You know what? Lets go ahead and work on getting that license suspended.
Maybe thatll get you thinking about your priorities a little straighter.
are you fucking kidding me? How is that going to make me have more money?
It isnt, but maybe itll get you thinking about what you can and cant live without.
Youre also aware that your grandmother, ________, co-signed both your loans, right?
What if I told you we can claim a portion of her retirement as a form of payment?
Are you threatening my family? You piece of shit, are you threatening my family?
Oh no, _____, these arent threats; these are my legal rights as a debt collector.
Maybe this will get you to start playing ball? Hmmm, are you thinking a little clearer now,
seeing the big picture?
It was at this point that I hung up the phone. I went into my room, locked the door,
and I cried. I simply had no idea what else to do, so I just sat there and cried for a few
hours. But during my emotional breakdown, I had an epiphany an epiphany that was
going to change *everything*.

Part 3: Fear turns to boldness, apathy turns to intolerance of injustice

My grandmother is dead I remember thinking to myself. and I dont have a

car. These threatening, ignorant fucktards knew and cared so little about whom I was and

what I had been doing over the years that they hadnt even done their basic homework on
me. It hit me like a sack of bricks; these debt collectors had no leg to stand on. You
simply cant enforce a collection when there is simply no money there to collect. Perhaps
they had thought I was willingly holding out on them? Surely they could have just checked
my earnings from the previous years and seen that, in fact, I had earned hardly even
$4,000 in 2 years. Regardless of their perspective, they had crossed the line for the last
time. After a good, long cry session, I let out a laugh. they have nothing. They have

absolutely fucking nothing. I remember thinking to myself, and it made me smile. In a

sense, being intimidated and backed into a corner had empowered me, and emboldened
me. My attitude and demeanor had changed almost immediately. No longer was I sitting
there crying, worrying about what will happen if I cant pay?, no, instead I was sitting
there thinking Over my dead fucking body will they get 1 cent from me, ever. Not one

single god damned cent. In a world without any options or any protections for the student
borrower, the only voice you have is your dollar, and your plan of attack. Thats it. No
one, *no one* can help you, excluding 1) death, or 2) a wealthy, charitable person.
Dont expect any help from the government either; theyre the ones who made it a law
in 2005, ensuring students would be screwed over for the rest of their lives if they
could not fulfill their financial obligations.
It was at this time, I realized I would never be able to live an ordinary life.
Things that people take for granted would be unattainable luxuries for me. I would not
be able to sign my own lease for an apartment. I could not acquire a new vehicle. I
would never be given access to a credit card or a loan again, period. All I would ever
have in life is what I had the cash to pay for in my hands, and that was it. You see,
when you no longer have the delusion of credit in your corner (which, between my
parents bankruptcy and my non-existent credit score, was exactly zero) you look at life

in an entirely different perspective. Life becomes less about wants and all about needs.
You dont splurge on anything. New clothes? Nope. Expensive food? No. Exotic trips
and vacations? Absolutely not. But you will find something to hide behind; for me it was
alcohol, but Im sure for others, it will be something else. To say I began to drink is the
understatement of a lifetime, but it was the only way to unwind anymore; I would never
receive peace of any kind from the debt collectors. Whether it was letters, phone calls,
text notifications, etc, the contact was endless, and the escape was nigh-impossible.
At first, you think about ludicrous schemes.

Maybe Ill just sell drugs; at least Ill pocket what I make
maybe I should just sell everything I own and mine Bitcoins?
Ill flee the country and start over; theyll never stop me in Brasil!
but eventually, you realize that even national borders dont exempt you from
student loan debt; that shit can literally follow you to a different continent. You realize
that taking foolish risks is what got you into this debt in the first place, and you
become more risk-aversive entirely. When you do even a basic google search of
student loan debt, you realize that this isnt some new phenomena, but rather its just
much more prevalent and noticeable these days than it ever was before. You search
for ways around it, and you realize that you basically have to die or become critically
handicapped to get out of debt. What a glorious way to reward people for trying to
better themselves culturally, academically, and professionally; debt slavery for the rest
of their lives. Youll search and search and search and search, certain that theres a
way to combat this fiscal injustice but you will come to realize that there is only one

option: to reject. If you do not reject, you choose to accept that your life is should be
one of debt slavery, and that is not a life at all.
The rude debtor called about 10 days later. It was the same man as I
experienced the first time. He was just as menacing the second time he called, just as
threatening. This time, I let him insult me, threaten me, rant at me, accuse me, and say
whatever he wanted to. If there is one thing youll learn about debt collectors, youll
realize they have no scruples whatsoever, and that intimidation tactics and fearmongering are staples of their strategy. After a few minutes of silence and abuse, I
finally spoke for the first time.
Shes dead.

What? Whos dead?

Shes dead. My grandmother. My co-signer died 2 years ago.
What?
and I dont drive. I dont have a car.
. . . . .
You have nothing. I have nothing you can take from me. You can search high
and low youll see I have just enough to get by. But you have nothing left to take
from me. You will never see a penny from me, as long as I live.
Wait a moment, hold on. We can set you up on a payment plan. Theres no
reason to panic or be rash about this situa-

No. I am done talking with people like you. You will never hear from me again.
Ever. Goodbye.
That was the last time I would ever be in contact with any creditor or debtor.
The calls would continue, the letters would be mailed, the tone would become
increasingly more threatening and violent. At the end of the day, I simply stopped
checking the mailbox. I discarded my cell-phone; it wasnt like it was my friends or
family calling anymore, anyway. I created new email addresses and used aliases on all
of them, so as to prevent anyone from harassing me digitally. I never once updated my
home address. In a sense, I disappeared from the grid. If you werent a close friend,
you were dead to me. Yet this was just the beginning of what was to come. I became
infinitely aware of financial injustices across multiple planes, as I started to research
ways to combat them. When you actually read up on how prevalent predatory lending
schemes are, you really start to wonder how the banks get away with it. There was
only one answer that made sense to me: financial non-compliance, and complete,
absolute defiance.

Part 4: Total Defiance and Financial Non-compliance

To explain how this works, you must first understand the magnitude which is
being discussed. Simply refusing to pay your debts is not enough; you must change
your lifestyle in its entirety. You will live poorer, cheaper, and with less, generally, than
everyone you know. You will almost assuredly be forced into isolation, as your lifestyle
is simply not conducive to the concept of things like meaningful, intimate relationships.
Who would date someone that has no car, a low-paying job, lives at home with their
parents, and hardly afford to feed or dress themselves? You will have to leave

numerous jobs, even if you dont want to, because they *can and will* try to garnish
your wages if they are given the chance. You will never receive a tax return again; just
dismiss that part of your life as being an experience you will never know. I honestly
didnt even bother to file my taxes; if they wanted to audit me, feel free. I had nothing
to hide, but I was going to make them work for it if they wanted any of my money.
Youll probably need to discard your cell phone, or at the very least, change your
number regularly; they will not let up or relent when it comes to harassment, and no
one cares about you to tell them to stop. You will become a cash-only person, because
if your bank account even hits 4-figures, youre going to be in jeopardy of having your
money taken out of your bank account without even knowing it happened. Dont expect
basic commodities like driving; they can and will suspend your drivers license, and
without even notifying you, too. Believe me when I say that you dont want to get pulled
over and pull the whole I had no idea my license was suspended, officer card,
because it will not go well, period. Job hunting is even tougher; anywhere that runs a
preliminary credit check on you will almost assuredly decide against you before youve
even walked through the door. Also, you will be ineligible to work for the government
for the rest of your natural life; if you had any aspirations of being a police officer, an
air traffic controller, TSA/FBI etc, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. If youre
wondering how I know all this, its because I have lived this nightmare already;
everything I listed happened to me, at one point in time. For every measure they took, I
took counter-measures; in a sense it becomes a game of chess, except you have they
have all their pieces, and you have 1 pawn.
The first time that I had my wage garnished, I didnt even receive a notification it
was happening. I checked my account one day, and instead of having $1000 in my
bank account, I had $700; they had seized 30% of my check, and not even told me.

When I called to contest it, they said I must have misplaced it, and when I called
bullshit, they said theyd send me another copy of it. The next day, I walked into work,
and I quit my job. My employer was perplexed. Was there a problem? my boss
asked me. No, Im sorry. Its not the job, I just cant afford to have my wages

garnished here. Thank you for everything you did for me. I said to him. In a sense, I
was too poor to work; how fucking ludicrous is that statement to even
say out loud? Really though, take a moment to mull that one over; too poor to

work. New rules of engagement had been established; re-possession was a serious
matter that was foreign to me. I immediately withdrew every cent from my bank
account, and like a crazy old man, I began storing it in a shoe in my house. The reality
of my new cash-only lifestyle was beginning to set in, and I could tell I had a long road
ahead of me. This war was just getting started.
Over the next 2 years, I bounced from job to job. Every time I would get a letter
telling me of intent to garnish my wages, I would simply quit the job. Nope Id think
to myself, ... not a chance in hell theyre getting a dollar of my money. Employer after
employer sitting there, stunned, wondering why I would abruptly leave. With every job I
took and left, it became harder and harder to find work, which was an unforeseen
consequence. Turns out, if you get a reputation as someone who will leave at a
moments notice, people are less likely to hire you. Yet this is a reality that you must
be willing to undertake; the non-compliance must be absolute. You better be ready to
defend your actions too; as far as other employers are concerned, your lack of loyalty
is just a matter of fitting the profile as an unreliable, irresponsible, immature person. If
only they knew what I was going through, or could even begin to understand
What starts out as difficult can become downright excruciating physically,
mentally, and socially. While you are floundering to feed yourself and buying thrift shop

clothing, many of your friends who were fortunate enough to find fiscal success will be
living a life quite opposite of yours. My friends were getting engaged, getting married,
buying houses, having children, etc. When theyd see me and ask So, how are you

doing these days?, it was always more of a courtesy question than a curiosity
question. Poorly. Id say, in a word. There I was, cell-phoneless, carless, homeless,
clothesless, luxuryless, just scraping by, trying to prove a point. After awhile of living
like this, its easy to become critical, even jealous, of people who were able to be
fiscally responsible/free. I cant count the number of times I WANTED something, and
simply couldnt have it, or couldnt justify having it. Student loan debt is an anchor that
will drag you down to the bottom and force you to watch the world pass you by.
but then it happens. Eventually, the creditors will start to lay off. The tones will
start to change. No longer will they be derogatory, accusatory, malicious, etc. No, on
the contrary, the debtors start to realize theres a really good chance that were not

going to ever get this money.., and boy oh boy will you know when that time comes.
Suddenly, the phone calls will be friendly and polite. Suddenly, they want to work with

you, an option that, years before, was absolutely non-negotiable and off the table
entirely. Its less about recovering the entire sum of the debt, and more about Can we

get anything out of this guy? and not be forced to eat the entirety of the loss on the
unpaid debt. Do not be fooled; you must remain non-compliant. You see, with private
loan debt, there are, in fact, limitations on it. It is only a valid debt for so many years,
*UNLESS* an effort to make a payment is accounted for, in which the validity of the
debt can be reset. Therefore, if you wait say, 3 years, and then decide to pay them,
even once, you have effectively hit a reset button. Its a sneaky, often unmentioned
aspect of debt. Debtors have X amount of years, varying by state, to either collect

some debt, or sue you for it. However, they will likely not sue you unless you DO, in
fact, have the money available, and are simply opting not to pay it.
Over the next 3 years, at no point did I ever have more than $2,000 in my
account. I never had enough for a true emergency; if I had ever been hospitalized, Id
have just had to die. I neglected my health almost entirely because healthcare was so
massively unaffordable at the time. Without preventative healthcare of any kind, you do
physically deteriorate; especially when it comes to dental hygiene and optical care.
Essentially, for 3 years of my life, life consisted of going to work, going home, going to
sleep, and once per week, drinking heavily. It was the only luxury that was remotely
affordable or attainable for me.
You learn a lot about yourself in this time frame. Firstly, and most obviously, you
quickly discover what sort of mental toughness you bring to the table. Its so easy to
crack and crumble. There are days where youll be so depressed and miserable that all
youll want to do is jump in front of an 18-wheeler and die. Days where youll think
God I would literally kill a man in the street right now if I meant I could afford a

steak. You start absolutely rejoicing at the little victories. One night stands, no matter
how meaningless, have never been so humanizing. Youll become really fond of free
entertainment; bonfires, camping, parks, sports, etc. I will say that I am in some of the
best shape of my life, courtesy of my extended poverty stint. Ultimate Frisbee, hiking,
biking, running, lifting; these become necessary measures to pass the time, as well as
to add some semblance of purpose in life. As stated earlier, youre essentially watching
the world do better than you, while debt bogs you down. I found writing, reading, and
self-exploration to be crucial during these years. Without constant and continuous
physical and mental stimulation, your mind will wander to dark places; it is inevitable.

The next thing youll realize is how smart you are, and how smart you arent.
You see, when you dont have all the tools available to you that other people have,
youll *QUICKLY* realize that you need to adapt. You want to see a movie, but you
cant afford it? Better learn how to use torrents! You want to keep in touch with people,
but you dont have a phone? Hope you can find a computer to make a Google Voice
account with, and an internet caf for Skype. If you didnt use mass transit before, you
will be a god damned expert by the time this self-imposed protest is over. You want
something nice to eat, but you cant afford it? Youll quickly become a savvy couponer
and a master barterer; trading is alive and well, friends, and being good with your
words will certainly help your life. I was shocked at how much more intelligent I
became by being poor out of necessity. Youll meet a LOT of people, too, who are on
the same hustle as you, everyone sharing their tricks of the trade along the way, just
trying to get by. I may not have ever had more than $2,000 in 5 years, but I took trips
across the country for free. I found my way to beaches, to mountain tops, to different
cities and different states. The internet is an amazing tool for a person with a will and
the desire to get more; all it takes is time, and patience.
A strong support circle is also indescribably valuable. I would *never* have
survived over the years without my friends. When times were at my worst, they were
the ones who helped me out the most. When I couldnt get a job, the government
wasnt there for me, my friends were. When I was hungry, they helped put food on the
table. When I was sad or felt lost, they were there to keep get me back on track. When
I lost all hope and despaired, they picked me up and helped me overcome every
obstacle, every step of the way. I promise you, no matter what happens in your life
financially, make sure you remember who is good to you; never, ever forget those
people.

All the while, the calls and letters change names. What starts off with Wells
Fargo, Chase, etc, ends with companies youve never heard of, small-time attorneys
who are particularly adept at writing menacing letters, and dozens upon dozens of NEW
debt collectors. Your debt will be passed around and sold off every 9 months,
seemingly, and all to no avail. The tactics will change drastically per group; some will
threaten you, some will demand a reply immediately, some will demand payment
immediately. It is absolutely imperative that they are all treated with the same disdain
and lack of consideration that they would have afforded you the first time you asked for
assistance. Do not ever buy into the carrot-on-a-stick solutions; at the end of the day,
debtors do not care at all about you. All they want is to collect their money, and by any
means necessary. They will absolutely lie and deceive you, telling you everything you
want to hear, making promises they absolutely cannot keep.
Job after job, couch after couch, city after city; I cant even tell you how many
times I had to change things up in the past 5 years. But, finally, resolution took place.
5 years of endless sacrifice, self-induced misery, and non-compliance would pave the
way for a bright horizon.

Part 5: Discharge of debt and financial liberation

After 5 long, painful years, I finally received a series of letters that read similar

to this one.

After several YEARS of complete and absolute sacrifice and financial noncompliance, my debts have been discharged. Note that this does not mean I am free; I
will never, ever have credit in my life. However, after years of practice, I am confident
that I will not need it. Yes, my lifestyle will be drastically different from nearly everyone
I know. However, I am finally free to make money, to find a career, to possess things
and to exist in this world as a human being should, and not as a slave must. I will
have the ability to drive. I will be dateable, as I will actually be able to stockpile and
save money. In time, I may be able to, at the very least, own my own apartment. My

personal and professional growth was and has been absolutely hampered in ways you
cannot fathom. People who graduated school the same year as I did are now in midlevel management positions, and substantially more equitable than I will likely ever be
in my lifetime. I do not even have a girlfriend; some of my friends have children who
are nearly teenagers already. It is a tough pill to swallow at times, but I suppose a life
that starts later is better than no life at all.
However, to the best of my individual ability, I sent a message; I will not be dehumanized for the sake of contractual obligation. The choices I made, to some, were
drastic and unreal, but they were my choices. No lawyer forced my hand, no courtroom
assigned judgment to me; I chose a difficult path, and followed it to the end in its
entirety. I dont know that I would recommend this road to everyone but if youre over
$100,000.00 in debt, and you, too, cannot get out of the hole then perhaps noncompliance will be the answer for you, too. I have no doubt that many people will write
me off as a lazy, slack, worthless person. They will consider this decision selfish, and
cast judgment on a lifestyle they likely cant even fathom. Thats okay; I understand,
respect, and reject the difference of opinion and perspective. At the end of the day, I
made a choice; I traded away my youth for a chance at having the rest of my life. My
20s came and went, and there was no joy in my final years of adolescence. However, I
have the rest of my 30s to get out there and live, and thats something, damnit!
As for me January 31st, 2015, will be the beginning of my life. I may have
missed out on my 20s, but I have the rest of my life to seize the day. I plan to live
them all to the fullest that I possibly can, a hardened, educated man without fear in his
heart. I hope this story serves as an inspiration, and possibly even motivation for you
fellow non-compliant folks to stay the course. The only voice we have as a people in

America was, is, and will always be with our words and our wallets. I encourage to
speak loudly, clearly, and bravely; go forward confident in all your actions and
decisions, and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel youre just gonna
have to crawl your way out, one day at a time. There will always be people who say
Youre just lazy/you signed up for this/it is all your fault/be accountable., and to those
people I say, I tried, I really did. I tried to open a dialogue on multiple occasions, I tried
to be reasonable, and I tried to explain my situations. But the fact is, banks and
debtors (and surprisingly, even people) are indifferent to the fact that sometimes, Life

happens., and no contract on earth prepares you for that. I suppose, in a way, it was
my fault that I got deathly ill, and my fault that I was robbed and assaulted, at
gunpoint, and my fault that family members literally died along the way. But for those of
you who still have your humanity in-tact, and realize that the almighty U.S. dollar
doesnt account for more than a persons life, I hope you believe me when I say, it

wasnt all my fault.

I hope youll share this story, I hope it goes viral. I hope everyone reads it.
Whether you agree or disagree with my choice to be financially non-compliant, I want
people to recognize and understand how problematic this is for not only the individual,
but for the country and society as a whole. I am but 1 person, but 1 in 3 college
students are delinquent on their student loan debt, and 1 in 8 college students are in
default. Thats a staggering number, and one that will only continue to get worse so
long as this country refuses to open up a dialogue about the plight of unforgivable
student loan debt. Please, if you take anything away from this article, take away that
this IS a big problem, one that will likely affect our entire generation and future
generations to come if nothing is done about it. Please, share this story, help it go

viral, force the world to acknowledge this issue by mass exposure! Thank you for
reading.
Most importantly, no matter how dark your days may seem, stay strong and be
resilient. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger, and if you can survive being at the
bottom of society for 5+ years, you WILL find a way back to normal society. I promise.
You will be infinitely wiser as a result of your struggle.