Chad Albright, 39, of Pennsylvania, graduated with a public relations degree and $30,000 in student loan debt at Millersville University. At 30-years-old, he decided to buy a one-way ticket to China in 2011 and ditch his debt.
When Albright graduated from the university in 2007, which was the beginning of the recession, tuition was about $12,000 a year for students. That meant that he would have about $400 in payments each month. At the time, he worked as a pizza delivery guy and was unable to make those payments. For 2 years, every interview he went to preferred people who had over 10 years of experience. He was stuck.
Upon arriving in China in 2011, Albright got a job working as an English teacher making about $1,000 a month, rent-free in Zhongshan. That's $1,000 in disposable income. He was able to live a life he couldn't back in the States due to his student debt.
Looking back, Albright believes that he should've just skipped a degree altogether. He believes that the United States is a 'debtors prison' and that college ruined his life.
There are roughly 44 million people in the United States who carry college debt... that's about $1.4 trillion USD collectively. That means most college graduates carry about $31,000 - $37,000 of debt on average. That equates to about $400 monthly payments for 10+ years. Apparently, Albright is not alone.