A man who retired a millionaire at age 33 explains how to graduate from college with a positive net worth — even if you take out student loans

Justin, founder of financial independence blog Root of Good.Justin/Root of Good

Despite taking on student loans to get him through college, Justin McCurry — who runs financial independence blog Root of Good — graduated college with a positive net worth.

From undergrad, McCurry went straight on to law school. In 2004, he landed his first job out of law school, working at an engineering consulting firm for $48,000 a year. Frugal by nature, he and his wife began saving diligently and maxing out their retirement accounts each year.

By 2013, the couple had saved up over $1 million — enough for Justin to retire at 33.

McCurry and his wife never won the lottery or played the stock market — and their combined annual household income never topped $150,000. But the choices that helped him save up to retire in his 30s were the same ones that helped him finish college with a positive net worth, even though he took out several loans going in.

"Part of that was luck, and part of that was being smart and working hard during college and taking the right steps to get to that point," he told the Mad Fientist on an episode of his "Financial Independence Podcast."

While paying off loans entirely before graduation might not be feasible for everyone — McCurry actually kept some of his college debt because it was at such a favorable interest rate (more below) — here are a few strategies McCurry used that are worth considering for any student:

He strategically took on loans with favorable interestrates. Yes, McCurry and his wife had to take on loans,but they shopped around for the best rates, and ended up takingon debt at a 0.75% interest rate. "We still actually havesome of that debt today at 0.75% interest rate," heexplained. "I will take as much debt asanyone will give me at 0.75% interest rate.... You can invest it in treasuries anddouble that yield or triple it." He bought a house instead of renting. Going toschool in North Carolina, McCurry realized it would be cheaper to buy a house than rent a placefor multiple years. While he understands that this isn't trueeverywhere, by putting in the research to find out what was thebest deal in his area, he was able to optimize his housingsituation. And as a bonus, he and his wife were able to sellthe house for a profit post-college. He worked jobs that doubled as hands-on experience inhis field. While this isn't possible in allindustries, McCurry sought out paid teaching assistantpositions and research grants that related to his engineeringdegree, which helped him pay the bills and pad his résumé atthe same time. "Once we got to graduation, all thosecareer-oriented jobs that I took on ended up helping me get agood job right out of college," he said. "I think it’s a lot ofthinking about where you want to be in a few years."

McCurry's situation certainly isn't the norm for the millions of students facing mounting student loan debt. But his underlying mantra can be applied universally: Being intentional and strategic from the start can set you up on the path to financial freedom.