WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONSOLIDATING STUDENT LOANS
For underprivileged students to be able to enroll in a university, trade school, or any other higher form of education, academic institutions offer student loans as a form of financial assistance. In general, student loans are to provide students and families with resources to make it possible for them to go to school. Yet instead of alleviating financial problems, student loans often place the students at the brink of stress and debt.
Majority of students view their loan situation as non-exiting, giving them an excuse not to deal with them immediately. Only at the end of the academic year will one realize that his debt already rose to thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If that is the case, a “grace period” allowable for six months is provided before a student begins his federal loan payments. In the span of half a year, the student must acquire a job to be able to repay.
Careers that offer student loan forgiveness
According to the evaluation of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one-fourth of American professionals, workers, and laborers could be eligible for repayment or loan-forgiveness programs. There is no need for you to get in trouble because of unpaid debts. Many humanitarian and public-sector jobs are eligible for loan forgiveness.
You do not need to settle in a job that you do not want. You can still pursue your passion rather than pursuing a life with the purpose to pay debts. Below are the legitimate careers that offer student loan forgiveness:
• Teaching
If teaching is not your passion, it would be a burden to you knowing that teachers do not get paid enough. However, this high-demanding career becomes much more appealing if you include a student loan reduction payment of $17,500 in its perks.
For a teacher to be eligible for student loan forgiveness, he or she must be employed in a low-income school district for at least five consecutive years. More forgiveness program benefits are given to teachers who specialize in mathematics, science, and special education.
• Social Work
Social workers may be eligible for total forgiveness if they work in agencies serving families in low-income districts or high-risk geographical locations. This is applicable if you are under the terms of Perkins Loan, a loan program that provides loans to students with more than average financial need. The longer social workers work in these areas, the more additional debt can be forgiven. Licensed clinical workers can legitimately avail student loan forgiveness but only through government programs.
• Volunteering
Volunteer programs such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Volunteers in Service to America offer partial payment reduction and forgiveness toward student loan debt. Up to 70% of student loans granted to volunteers may be forgiven.
• Military
Under the U.S. Armed Forced Recruiting program, members of the military may have up to 60% of their college tuition costs paid for. The Army National Guard be granted a reduction payment of up to $10,000 to its active members, while other veterans and private military associations deliver financial assistance through scholarships and grants.
• Child Care
Child care providers are legitimate for up to 100% immediate forgiveness. To be eligible, they must have acquired an associate or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. They must also serve in a low-income community for two full years.
• Medical Professionals
Doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and other medical professionals may be eligible for several student loan forgiveness programs only in selected geographic areas. By offering medical services in depressed, isolated, and low-income areas, almost 100% of their loans could be pardoned.
• Law
Law students and newly graduated lawyers who work for free or at a discounted cost can be given partial forgiveness toward student loans. They can also have their loans reduced or forgiven if graduate lawyers work for agencies that provide non-profit services to those who cannot afford costly legal representations.
Besides the salary, there has been an increasing reward and added benefits for those who work to serve our communities. If you participate in loan forgiveness programs, you can make college more affordable and bearable, while adding value to your degree and profession in the future. So if you are looking for a way to resolve existing debts, consider a career in one of these fields and witness your anxieties fade into thin air.
