As a state worker and full member of CWA 1038, I’ve been inundated with opportunities to help in the fight against Christie’s proposed pension non-payment. We held a union meeting in our office today outlining how to call our legislators and write letters, all which are not new concepts to me since I became politically active in high school. But as a 2012 college graduate with a significant student loan debt, I can’t help but feel that I have more important things to advocate for than for a pension I may never see.

Through poor choices as a younger man I have high student loan debt that I now cannot do anything about at 25. A fair portion of this is held by the State of NJ through their NJ Class loans, administered by Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). Unlike Federal loans, these private loans have no public service forgiveness option, there are no refinance options to current interest rates, and there are no income-based repayment options, all of which I would qualify for at this point. So because of statute limitations and a lack of advocacy organizations that stand for my issues, I will continue to pay nearly a quarter of my net income back to the state from which I just received it at nearly double the current interest rate of Federal student loans. This story of high interest rates and no options is the same with other student loans I have with private banks and companies as well.

There was, however, recently hope in the Senate with Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act. It would have allowed me to refinance my private student loans through the Federal loan program, opening up other repayment options. But through the threat of a filibuster and a failure to get 60 votes in the Senate, the bill failed and that hope was eliminated. I do commend the NJ Senate duo for supporting the bill though; especially co-sponsor Cory Booker (D-NJ).

In my search for a resolution to my private loan debt after the President’s student loan announcement on June 6, 2014, and the failure of Warren’s bill the day after, I was on HESAA’s website. In a section called, “Steps to Reduce Your NJClass Loan Costs,” their main suggestion wasn’t to talk to a financial counselor or to a customer service representative to see about payment options. Their suggestions were things like, “Keep living like a student,” and, “Prepay Your Loans.” That’s a great suggestion if you have the financial freedom, not so great if you’re barely able to make payments. A friend mused to me that we educate ourselves so that we no longer have to live like students after our formal education.

I don’t regret my college years, I don’t despise my alma mater. I do regret the financial choices I made at 18. I’m not asking for my loans to be forgiven carte blanche. I’m just asking for the opportunity to restructure my debt, through refinancing, payment options, and/or public service forgiveness programs. Mortgages can be refinanced and modified, credit card debt can be set up with payment plans. Both can be discharged in bankruptcy. On your taxes, you can deduct up to $1 million in mortgage interest, but you can only deduct $2,500 in student loan interest. Mistakes made with student loans at 18 can be held over a borrower’s head for the rest of their lives — and at this point, there are very few groups or individuals outside of those affected who seek change in the system.

So while I’d love to help the union fight for a pension I may never see, it looks like I have a bigger fight on my hands. One that I seem to have to fight on my own.