The good news (there really is some): There are lots of little-known ways to manage — and even eliminate — that college debt, so you can get on with your life. If you’ve done nothing with your loan repayments, you’re probably on the standard plan: 10 years of equal monthly payments. This is the way to go if you can swing it. You’ll knock out the debt relatively quickly, which means less time for interest to pile up. But lots of you are having trouble making that monthly nut — with your careers just getting underway, that’s totally understandable.