budget. the numbers are rising fast. in 1993, for example, the average student loan holder old about $9400. today, the average balance is more than 34,000. studies show that most kids who takes loans never bother to calculate their monthly payments when they apply for the loans. not surprising that the majority say they would not do it again. about half of loan holders worry they won't be able to pay off their loans over the course of their lifetimes. some well and some won't but the lenders don't appear to make those decisions when they loan . they don't seem to care. almost one-third of students who sign up for student loans drop out before getting a degree and that makes it much less likely that they will earn enough to earn the money. even if they do graduate, there aren't enough jobs tort support them. more than 40% of young college thatates work in positions do not require a college degree. certain majors of course lead to better jobs and higher incomes. lenders don't seem to take that into consideration either, especially the e government.