Something for nothing: How volunteering can help pay off student loans

In part one of this two-part series, Money College blogger Jennifer Larson explores how students can get student loans paid or deferred through their volunteer work.

If you feel stuck in the never-ending cog of student loan debt, you are certainly not alone. A lot of people are in the same situation, and among there are many ways to break free including -- surprise -- volunteer work.

If your main priority in life is giving back to society and helping others, you may have heard plenty of times that this will keep you from making big bucks. That may be true in some cases, but many volunteer organizations and teaching programs recognize your hard work and want to reward you for it.

Several organizations and employers offer aid for paying student loan debt and loan forgiveness programs. Similar to volunteer organizations, a few teaching programs award college grads with student loan payments or enroll them in forgiveness programs. These programs also allow grads to positively affect their community while they start to pay off student loans.