Sallie Mae Navient 12 years and counting - $4,000 Sallie Mae loan still not paid off. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Nationwide

Your post is a great example of someone who has gone to a real college and gotten a real college education compared to someone who goes to a "tech school".  Sure you may be good at your job but you have no legitimate clue of how the world actually works.

First off unless you have an IQ of 500 you aren't getting through any legiitmate school in just a couple of monthsl, and if you had an IQ like that you wouldn't be at a tech school you would be getting a full ride at Yale.   So your first claim that it is "12 years and counting" is not exactly telling the full story.  As you had it deferred while you were in school, which was probably 2-4 years.  So you have only been paying on it for 8-10 years which after it is paid off in 2018 is about standard for Student Loans.

So your complaint is that you weren't aware that they were going to charge you interest on the deferred period.  Okay, when you read the loan documents(you did read them..right?) what did it say? 

Then who said you are stuck paying the minimum?   If you didn't want to be into them for this long why didn't you pay extra?  Again not knowing the details, I could just about guarantee that what ever you were paying if you paid just $10/month more you would probably be paid off by now and possibly for quite a while.    Don't believe me, go ahead and search for "Amortization Tables" or "Payoff Calculators" putting in your amounts...you may be shocked at how fast something that small adds up. 

You say you are stuck with them for another 2 years?  Again..WRONG.  Since you are so well off why not write them an $1100 check today and be done with them?  If you don't have that, then why not go to your bank for a Signature Loan? 

A few final items, one thing you failed to mention is your payment history?  Have you paid on-time or have you been late?  As paying late adds additonal interest and fees and just adds the time it takes to pay it off.

Also, perhaps if you want to get a "life lesson" in Interest you should check out your Car and Mortgage payments.   You may be in for a huge shock as to how little of your payment actually goes to the principal, especially in the beginning.