Saul, I too was a 17 year old in New England signing up for large amounts of loans. My only “real world experience” prior to college was working at Decathlon Sports (R.I.P.). I too have a liberal arts degree that I do not use. I too am on Income Based Repayment. I’m two years older than you, so shouldn’t I too then be one of those “canaries in a coal mine” that you mentioned?

No, because somehow I have been working to make something of myself. I focus on the future and what I can do in spite of my large debt burden, instead of blaming the institutions and the economy. Struggling is part of living, at least for most of us. If your parents owned a small business, how did you not already know that? Also, you’ve been out of school for many, many years now. What have you been doing in the mean time to better yourself and your chances? You can’t forever blame your circumstances on your undergrad debt. Grow up.