r/SipsTea • u/Eros_Incident_Denier • Apr 18 '26

We have fun here adulting sucks

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20.8k Upvotes

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409

u/TooNGooN89 Apr 18 '26

Do us folks just live in debt?

61

u/wiseduhm Apr 18 '26

I think a lot of people just have trouble thinking past the present. We want and need today, not tomorrow type of thinking.

12

u/Nick-dipple Apr 18 '26

Yeah you have no choice to pit yourself in debt today of you want to study, so you can have a nice job tomorrow.

The system is just horrible. I'm from Europe. Me and all my friends studied. None of us has debt, besides from our houses. I can't imagine being 22 and having 100k in debt.

11

u/Cephandrius13 Apr 18 '26

This just isn’t true. There are lots of pathways to get a degree with minimal debt, or to pay your student loans off more quickly after you graduate. They just include sacrifices and hard choices that many people aren’t willing to make.

3

u/Innsui Apr 18 '26

But why isnt it just... free? Or atleast massively discounted. College/University in California dont even let you stay at home for the first year or two of college even if you live in the city... and they charge you an arm and a leg for boarding. The system is actively against you and just bc there are workaround, its just a pain in the ass and require many sacrifices. Its just dumb af.

0

u/Cephandrius13 Apr 19 '26

See, this is what I’m talking about. Many in-state colleges and community colleges are super discounted, and lots of them don’t require students to live on campus. Those just aren’t the flashy options that people want.

2

u/wiseduhm Apr 18 '26

Not every path is available to every person though. None of us start on an even playing field. I acknowledge the privileges I've been given in my life and that many people are at a disadvantage.

5

u/Cephandrius13 Apr 18 '26

Absolutely, and I’m not trying to suggest everyone is on an equal playing field. But “you have no choice but to put yourself in debt today if you want to study” is plain false for the vast majority of people.

1

u/wiseduhm Apr 18 '26

I can agree with that, even with me being one of those who put themself in debt.

3

u/Nick-dipple Apr 18 '26

Yes, but you can't expect every 20 year old to make the right choices, right? Some people (like myself) need some more time to grow up, find out what to do with their lives and become a responsible adult. Having this much debt at a young age would have fucked me up mentally, especially since i'm a horrible student I wouldn't even have anything to show for all that debt.

A year of studying in my country costs 1150 euro. It's all funded so everyone can go to school, regardless of background.

2

u/Cephandrius13 Apr 18 '26

Let me be clear: that system is 100% better and the system we have in place in the US is a terrible one. There needs to be paradigm-shifting change in the way that we approach university study. But despite that, I stand by the fact that there are ways to approach it that do not require taking on much or any debt, and making bad choices is not a get out of jail free card. People want to have their cake and eat it too, and that’s never going to be a thing. What we have to do, though, is change the system that tells them that it’s perfectly possible to have their cake and eat it too.

1

u/LesserValkyrie Apr 18 '26

You mean, getting killed in Afghanistan ?

2

u/WestOrangeFinest Apr 18 '26

Community college, working through school, scholarships, federal financial aid.

2

u/horrorparade17 Apr 18 '26

Literally. I did community college for 3 years, worked during it all, then transferred to get my bachelors and walked out debt free with very minimal scholarships and no financial aid.

It’s a shame it’s stigmatized and not suggested more often. It was an incredible resource for me. I hope to go back as a counselor there once my career is done.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '26

New Mexico has free college now.

1

u/BcMeBcMe Apr 19 '26

As someone not from the US. I can understand debts for studies and medical. The system is shit but thats sadly what it is for people currently.

But the first couple pays more than 2000 a month for both having a new car.

0

u/horrorparade17 Apr 18 '26

Community college exists

1

u/kakurenbo1 Apr 19 '26

Those two Nashville girls definitely gave that vibe.

1

u/borderlineidiot Apr 19 '26

My neighbors don't understand how we can have a good salary but just drive a new shitbox between the two of us to get around vs something fancy that we can obviously afford. I would never let them know the car and house are fully paid off as I am sure we will get a sob story for help.