Here's Why You Need To Stop Complaining About Your Student Loans

College may be the time of our lives, but the aftermath, not so much. Student loans suck.

A lot of graduates know this struggle, myself included. I have way more than the average $30k in student loans most students are said to have after graduation. We spend years in school in hopes of landing a well-paying job, only to enter the real-world still living paycheck to paycheck.

I know the all too familiar pit in your stomach every month when you see that large sum of money withdrawn from your bank account. I know what it's like to feel behind in life before you've even started. But at the end of the day, feeling sorry for ourselves won't pay the bills. So suck it up, buttercup.

Here are five reasons you should stop complaining about your student loan debt.

1. What's done is done.

It's too late to take it back now. Complaining about the situation you're in won't make the situation better. You're only going to waste precious time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere.

As the saying goes, “There's no use crying over spilt milk.” Besides, I doubt you were complaining when you went to all those college parties or when you met some of your lifelong friends.

2. You have a degree (or two!).

For a lot of jobs today, having a degree is a requirement that not everyone possesses. Appreciate the fact that you have something that not everybody has.

You hold a degree that will open up endless doors and provide you with more opportunities than if you only had a high school diploma. I wouldn't be in the career I am today if it wasn't for my degrees and the job opportunities they brought me.

So wear your degrees like a badge of honor because there are plenty of people who would love to be in your shoes.

3. You're learning financial responsibility.

Even though it might be the tough way, you're learning how to manage your money. You're gaining invaluable knowledge about how to set a budget each month to account for your debt and how to save for the stuff you want.

And sometimes that may mean you can't always do the things you want to. Regardless of the heartache student loans bring, they provide financial lessons that can't be taught in a classroom.

Plus, while you're repaying your debt, you're establishing credit -- something that is crucial in adult life for buying your next car or a home someday.

4. Once they're paid off, they're gone.

The good thing about student loans is once they're gone, they're gone forever. Unlike a credit card that has revolving credit.

This should give you the motivation to pay them off sooner. I guarantee there are few things more satisfying than making that last student loan payment.

So work that overtime or pick up a side hustle to pay off your debt that much sooner. Just imagine all the amazing things you can do with that extra cash back in your wallet once you're debt free.

5. You're intelligent.

College is no easy feat. It isn't for the light-hearted and it's definitely not something to take for granted. You've gained something intangible and sought after, and you're a better person because of it.

You put in a lot of hours of studying and hard work and you came out a smarter, more well-rounded individual. That's not something to complain about. That's something to cherish.  

You're the person you are today because of the circumstances life has presented to you, college and student loans included. So while the monthly debt payments may hurt your wallet, rest assured you're a better person today because of them.