The loan thing is a tricky one in this profession, I agree. I've been walking that tight rope ever since I graduated. Trickier for some than others as well, no doubt. I've personally always managed with other jobs in aviation. Instructing, skydivers, aerial survey, charter, tours, ferry, etc. They paid the bills and the plus side is that all my 2000+ hrs is PIC, and aside from the survey gig I was able to be home every night. There are other threads out there about it, but I think one way to help is to educate the student pilots coming up through the ranks. Many of them go into loads of debt going to 0 to hero flight schools that guarantee an interview and nothing else. If they do make it to that first year FO job, they wonder why they can't make the loan payments. And they didn't even get a degree for all that money.

I know a few guys that were able to pay their way through flight school and avoid all the debt. Once they get to the regionals, even at the appalling pay rates, they are able to live quite comfortably through those first couple tough years. After that, I've heard it's not so bad.

My only complaint with an article like this (again no offense to the OP, I know you didn't write it) is it only serves to point out that we should probably wash windows, work in toll booths, or drive a bus to earn money, which coincidentally are all ways to earn money to pay those loans while you're holding out for better pay at the airlines (only joking, sorta). It lends nothing in way of solutions to this "cause" I'm hearing of. Less complaining and more solutions is all I'm saying here.