These programs get to ask a court to enforce a $36,500 judgement against you if you quit. That's far from having a job "cost $36,500 to quit". If the role is tr

These programs get to ask a court to enforce a $36,500 judgement against you if you quit. That's far from having a job "cost $36,500 to quit". If the role is truly worse than nothing, as long as you don't have a pile of assets to go after the entire cost of quitting is going through bankruptcy at worst. The only scenario in which you'd pay the full $36,500 is if you found an alternative job that would be at least that much better. In which case you move on and make them collect from you. How difficult that is for them and how much of a hassle it is for you varies by state, but I suspect you could settle the debt for a payment plan that returns at most 50 cents on the dollar. IMO, more people need to be educated on the debt collection and bankruptcy system they have, and learn what their actual best alternatives are, rather than what creditors want you to think your alternatives are. Debt collection is slow and risky at best, and these exploitative programs are run by slimeballs, so fuck 'em and play hardball.