Man Regrets Taking Out $150K in Student Loans—Sparks Viral Conversation

A man went viral on TikTok after posting about how he owed nearly $150,000 in student loan debt after attending culinary school.

Bradley, who goes by @baddie.brad on TikTok, posted the video on Thursday which has already received more than 1.2 million views.

More than 11,100 viewers also felt compelled to leave comments on Bradley's video, many stating that they were "infuriated" that he had to pay $900 monthly payments. Others shared that they were also more than $100,000 in debt from attending college.

As of 2022, the Education Data Initiative stated that approximately 44.7 million Americans currently have outstanding student loans.

"This is incredibly hard for me to talk about and I am beyond embarrassed about it but I guess it's time," he said in the TikTok. "I have $147,000 of student loan debt."

He explained that he decided to attend culinary school when he was 17-years-old and graduated at 20 with loans and a job that paid just above minimum wage.

Bradley said he had no guidance with choosing schools and that neither of his parents were financially literate and both were unable to give him financial advice.

"So 17-year-old me who had no idea what I was doing, really no guidance from my parents, I decided to go to the best of the best because I thought if I go to the best school and I work hard I will then end up with a great life and that was an absolute lie," he said in the TikTok.

Bradley explained that he attended the Culinary Institute of America and had to take out over $130,000 in student loans in order to go.

"I think it's absolutely criminal to take naive, hopeful, 17- or 18-year-olds going to culinary school thinking they'll be the next one with the TV show because they're going to this fancy school when it is an absolute lie," he said.

In the video, he explained that he paid off a loan for $25,000 and has made $900 monthly payments for the past seven years on a parent plus loan but that his debt has only increased.

"I am paying $900 a month and with the high-interest rate, by the time the next payment comes around, it had added practically $900 back," he told Newsweek. "So it's been an endless cycle of going nowhere."

Bradley said after he graduated he was hopeful that he could pay back his debt because he received a "magnificent prestigious degree." He worked in the food industry for five years and made between $12 and $15 an hour.

In the TikTok he explained that this has been a nightmare for him that he has had to live every single day for the past eight years. Bradley said his financial situation makes him feel stuck and that it has heavily affected his mental health.

"I'm just drowning and I really can't take it anymore," he said.

In order to pay off his debt, Bradley had to leave the food industry and get what he refers to as an "adult job."

The viral TikTok received more than 11,100 comments, many from viewers who said they were also facing student debt that added up to more than $100,000. Others stated that this was why more people should be focusing on student loan reform.

"I have 325k in debt," one user commented. "Was making 35k a year w my bachelors and decided to get a masters...biggest ripoff ever."

"Can't rent a car til you're 25," another comment read. "But sign [sic] your life over in loans when you're 17 is fine! America!!!!"

Many mentioned that although they did not initially start off with many loans, the interest is what accumulated and made it feel impossible to get out of debt.

"I'm 100k in student loan debt. You are not alone!!! Interest is a CRIME!!!!!!" one commenter said.

There is currently a hold on student loan payments and a zero percent interest rate through May 1. Once the COVID-19 emergency relief for student loans ends, undergraduates with federal student loans will face a 3.73 percent interest rate while graduate students will face 5.28 percent.

"I've been so grateful for the payment/interest freeze during the pandemic," Bradley told Newsweek. "It has been a lifesaver in ways I can't express. And that doesn't even account for the loan in my own name now valued at $33,000 that started around $28,000 I believe. But due to the low income I was earning in the food industry, my income-based repayment has basically been $0 most months."