Student loans killed Jason Yoder in 2007. Jason was a bright student. He earned a master's degree in organic chemistry from Illinois State University. He did everything they told him to do. Went to college. Went further. Specialized. Earned an advanced degree in a hard science. But the job never came. He couldn't find work in his field. His student loan debt sat there, growing, unpayable. The despair grew with it. One evening in 2007, his mother Jan noticed he seemed more despondent than usual. Jason took his own life in the chemistry lab at the university where he'd earned his degree. He was 35. He left a note that referenced his student loans and his inability to find work. Here's the part that should make you sick: **While his mother was planning his funeral, the debt collectors were still calling her about the money he owed.** She told one of them: "You are part of the reason he took his own life." Then she hung up. Jason isn't alone. Research found that **1 in 11 suicides among young professionals is at least partly tied to student loan debt.** Nine in ten borrowers report significant anxiety over their loans. He wasn't lazy. He wasn't irresponsible. He got a master's degree in chemistry. The system just handed him a lifetime of debt for a future that never arrived.
