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These Americans fled the country to escape their giant student debt
CNBC ^ | 10/27/18 | Annie Nova

Posted on 10/27/2018 4:44:26 PM PDT by Simon Green

Chad Haag considered living in a cave to escape his student debt. He had a friend doing it. But after some plotting, he settled on what he considered a less risky plan. This year, he relocated to a jungle in India. "I've put America behind me," Haag, 29, said.

He now lives in a concrete house in the village of Uchakkada for $50 a month. His backyard is filled with coconut trees and chickens. "I saw four elephants just yesterday," he said, adding that he hopes to never set foot in a Walmart again.

His debt is currently on its way to default. But more than 9,000 miles away from Colorado, Haag said, his student loans don't feel real anymore.

"It's kind of like, if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it really exist?" he said.

The philosophy major concedes that his student loan balance of around $20,000 isn't as large as the burden shouldered by many other borrowers, but he said his difficultly finding a college-level job in the U.S. has made that debt oppressive nonetheless. "If you're not making a living wage," Haag said, "$20,000 in debt is devastating."

He struggled to come up with the $300 a month he owed. The first work he found after he graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011 — when the recession's effects were still palpable — was on-again, off-again hours at a factory, unloading trucks and constructing toy rockets on an assembly line. He then went back to school to pursue a master's degree in comparative literature at the University of Colorado Boulder. After that, he tried to make it as an adjunct professor, but still he could barely scrape a living together with the one class a semester he was assigned.

Haag had some hope restored when he landed full-time work as a medical courier in Denver, delivering urine and blood samples to hospitals. However, he was disappointed to find that he brought home just $1,700 a month. He had little money left over after he paid his student loan bill. He couldn't afford an apartment in the city, where rents have been rising sharply. He lived with his mother and rarely went out with friends.

"I couldn't make the math work in America," Haag said. Milestones that seemed like pipe dreams back home, like starting a family, and owning a house, are now on his horizon. This year he married an Indian citizen, a professor at a local college. He now has a five-year spousal visa, and plans to renew it when the time comes.

Adjusting to a new country, he admitted, has not been entirely easy. "Some toilets here are holes in the ground you squat over," Haag said. Recently, he ate spoiled goat meat at a local restaurant and landed in the emergency room.

Still, he said, "I have a higher standard of living in a Third World country than I would in America, because of my student loans."


TOPICS: Education; Travel
KEYWORDS: chadhaag; debt; education; freeloaders; millennials; studentdebt; studentloans
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To: FreedomPoster

A bargain,the head football coach makes the same.


101 posted on 10/27/2018 7:16:25 PM PDT by Midnitethecat (St)
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To: Simon Green

A philosophy major? What a waste.


102 posted on 10/27/2018 8:44:01 PM PDT by ealgeone (SCRIPTURE DOES NOT CHANGE!)
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To: Simon Green
Are we supposed to
  1. Feel sorry for
  2. admire
  3. Cheer the irresponsible behavior of
this larcenous deadbeat sack of sh!t? Somebody is out that $20,000 - just because he doesn’t want to pay it back doesn’t mean that the debt goes away.
103 posted on 10/27/2018 8:45:40 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy)
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To: thoughtomator
defaulters who were largely coerced via immense social pressure into signing documents they did not understand

Anybody who takes out a loan knows that the money needs to be paid back.

Anybody not smart enough to understand that should not be in college.

104 posted on 10/27/2018 8:50:42 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane

The schools lie to the students and say of course this degree will get you a job paying more than enough to pay back the loan. But it’s statistically impossible for that to be true, some large percentage of students is not going to be able to convert the degrees given into paying jobs.

These students have a very solid argument that they have been defrauded.


105 posted on 10/27/2018 9:00:03 PM PDT by thoughtomator (Number of arrested coup conspirators to date: 2)
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To: tbw2

Exactly. And it goes downhill from here. And it’s bad enough already.


106 posted on 10/27/2018 9:05:22 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Midnitethecat

People voluntarily part with that money in tickets and TV rights, and it doesn’t affect tuition.


107 posted on 10/27/2018 9:06:15 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Simon Green
He obviously wasn't a math major.

He brought home $1,700 per month. After he paid his student loan payment of $300, he had little left over.

108 posted on 10/27/2018 9:08:41 PM PDT by gogeo (The Repubs may not always deserve to win, but the RATs always deserve to lose.)
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To: thoughtomator

You understand that entire post is a steaming pile, don’t you?


109 posted on 10/27/2018 9:10:42 PM PDT by gogeo (The Repubs may not always deserve to win, but the RATs always deserve to lose.)
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To: Husker24

I think that was his second mistake. The first was the philosophy degree.


110 posted on 10/27/2018 9:19:25 PM PDT by gogeo (The Repubs may not always deserve to win, but the RATs always deserve to lose.)
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To: Simon Green
Philosophy major followed by a degree in comparative literature....Gee!...Who knew that getting higher paying work would be a struggle? /s
111 posted on 10/27/2018 9:59:49 PM PDT by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: KevinB

Perhaps to qualify for funding for worthless degrees....it ought to be mandated that your minor has to be air conditioning repair, plumbing, or masonary arts. Once you graduate and discover zero value to French literature, you still have a chance in life.


112 posted on 10/27/2018 10:09:38 PM PDT by pepsionice
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To: jyo19
The philosophy major concedes that his student loan balance of around $20,000 isn't as large as the burden shouldered by many other borrowers, but he said his difficultly finding a college-level job in the U.S. has made that debt oppressive nonetheless. "If you're not making a living wage," Haag said, "$20,000 in debt is devastating."

As a philosophy major he should be seeking the truth. And the truth is that a philosophy degree will generally get you a job that does not pay very well.

He struggled to come up with the $300 a month he owed. The first work he found after he graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011 — when the recession's effects were still palpable — was on-again, off-again hours at a factory, unloading trucks and constructing toy rockets on an assembly line.

The truth should now have been obvious to him.

He then went back to school to pursue a master's degree in comparative literature at the University of Colorado Boulder.

But as you succinctly put it, he doubled down on stupid by following a philosophy degree up with a master’s in creative writing.

And he has still not found the truth.

113 posted on 10/27/2018 10:43:26 PM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
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To: Simon Green

Medical career fields, even one year programs, are suffering low staffing all over the country.


114 posted on 10/27/2018 10:55:52 PM PDT by MarMema
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To: gundog

That’s a great great story. Thanks.


115 posted on 10/27/2018 11:00:49 PM PDT by MarMema
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To: Haiku Guy

Excellent deductions.


116 posted on 10/27/2018 11:16:40 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Every time a lefty cries "racism", a Trump voter gets his wings.)
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To: miss marmelstein

the Bookie of Virtue.


117 posted on 10/27/2018 11:32:29 PM PDT by Pelham (Secure Voter ID. Mexico has it, because unlike us they take voting seriously)
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To: Simon Green
I ent to nursing school using some student loans (but mostly grants and scholarships). And I am still paying on my student loans. And you know what? I will pay those sumbitches off.

Why?

Because I honor my commitments. Which is more than I can say for this generation of pissants.

118 posted on 10/28/2018 2:22:53 AM PDT by 60Gunner (The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. - Plato)
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To: Simon Green

Be glad we are rid of this intentional loser. We will breath a little cleaner air, have less trash, and his place will be filled by someone else who is worthy of being an American, probably someone from India who likes real toilets and no elephants in the room.


119 posted on 10/28/2018 2:57:34 AM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: Simon Green
However, he was disappointed to find that he brought home just $1,700 a month. He had little money left over after he paid his student loan bill.

his student loan bill of $300 a month? Sure, that's a decent dent but find you a couple roommates, and you can easily survive on $1100 a month. Learn how to cook - ramen plus sausages (hot dogs if you're real cheap) with some basil is not bad. Easy. Cheap. And with a roommate or two sharing room costs, you can probably afford way better than ramen!
120 posted on 10/28/2018 4:04:38 AM PDT by Svartalfiar
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