Given the amount of debt load the average student graduates with we are handicapping the best and brightest of the next generation right out of the gate. While obligations should be met and all debt should be paid the country as a whole would benefit greatly by giving students a bit of a hand by allowing student loans to be paid for by pre-tax dollars. People should also be given the opportunity of paying the student loans off or down significantly with a non-penalized 401k disbursement.
By allowing the heavy weight of a giant student loan to be paid off as quickly as possible, and in full, we allow the future innovators to take more risks without the dire threat of student loan collectors following them to the ends of the earth.