Want to know how to get through college debt free? Personal finance expert David Wilson talked about exactly that to Money Matters students throughout the day on Friday. With more than 45 million in holding student loans, Wilson made through college debt free. 

Wilson was featured in a documentary on the student loan crisis called Borrowed Future, which Money Matters students are finished watching in class. Borrowed Future describes how Wilson bought and resold lawn mowers to make money. Wilson explained how he did more than just reselling lawn mowers to make it debt free.

Borrowed Future has been part of Money Matters curriculum for many years. Money Matters teacher Ram Rodriguez connected with Wilson on Linkedin after he noticed that Wilson had talked about his experience at other high schools. 

“He did it through intentionality,” Rodriguez said. “When you go to college you have to be intentional about it. You have to understand you have to start more work, even before you get to college.”

Wilson explains the advantages of being debt free after college and how student loan debt can affect life after college.

“Most college students are leaving their four years with much more than just memories and degrees,” Wilson said. “They’re also leaving with some extra, unwanted baggage. That baggage is student loans. That debt, the baggage, that causes them to look back at those four years, not fondly, but in some cases with anger and resentment over the decisions that they made. That debt, it now holds them back from starting a family, keeps them from going and getting their dream job in their dream city.”

Wilson presented the steps he took to go through college debt free, including exploring college alternatives such as trade school, going to the affordable school not the dream school, and how to make more money at jobs. 

He attended Wisconsin Lutheran College because it was the most affordable option. He worked minimum wage at the call center in his college before moving to an off-campus better paying job. On Friday, he presented steps that he did not take, but had seen work for others. 

The presentation concluded with the disadvantages of graduating with debt once again, after answering questions from Money Matters students, such as whether or not his methods work if they are going to college for more than four years. Wilson encourages students to think about their future financial situation now instead of later.

“That really resonates with the students who are prepared to go to college, who are at least considering going to college,” Rodriguez said. “They’re thinking ‘How am I going to pay $350,000 a year?’ That really stood out with students here at Coppell. Now they’re thinking ‘It’s going to cost money and I’m going to need to start preparing right now.’”

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