holy crap

Even a website devoted to helping students figure out finances thinks I am poor. And I have a real job! ("Real" defined only as non-temporary, continuing employment at a company offering benefits.) When I entered my student loan amounts, this is the information it gave me:
It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $40,047.60 to be able to afford to repay this loan. This estimate assumes that 10% of your gross monthly income will be devoted to repaying your student loans. If you use 15% of your gross monthly income to repay the loan, you will need an annual salary of only $26,698.40, but you may experience some financial difficulty.
The following table lists the minimum income necessary to repay the debt without encountering a partial economic hardship. Partial economic hardship is defined as having annual education loan payments in excess of 15 percent of discretionary income, where discretionary income is the amount by which Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) exceeds 150 percent of the poverty line.
Minimum income necessary to repay the debt without encountering a partial economic hardship: $42,298.00

source: finaid.org

I do not make that much money. Keep in mind, I also live in an affluent area, where $40k seems like a low to reasonable salary. So these numbers would be even more daunting for students in locations with lower average salary. I understand you can get a job paying this if you major in something useful, but what if you didn't, or what if you care more about making a difference in the world so you work for a nonprofit or something? How depressing is it that liberal arts sets you up for "economic hardship"?!