It is definitely NOT a breeze, especially if you have to take out some private loans, as I did, which started with variable interest rates at 9% (since I have refinanced and got them to 5.5%). I graduated about a year and a half ago, and was fortunate to land a job before graduating. If I did not have a job after graduating, I wouldn't have lasted more than a couple months before defaulting on my student loans.
At the same time, I know people with fixed interest rate loans at and below 2%. In this case, it might be a "breeze" to pay them off because you are not getting killed by interest.
In hindsight, I would have tried to balance working and studying better. I thought it was a better idea to focus on grades and a social life than working my first couple years. Even if you can come up with an extra $1,000 each semester, it will be a huge savings in the overall cost of your education in the long run.
I always read articles about the horrible struggles of students graduating with $20K of debt; however, that is really not that much to pay back if you are in an industry with decent entry level jobs (I started at $50K which is the norm in my industry). I already paid back over $10K of loans within a year, so I could have been debt free within two years if I had the "average" student loan debt.
For another perspective, my friend went to a private school for the same degree, and is now 6 figures in debt for the same outcome.
It's reasonable that you may need to go into debt to get your degree, but be smart about the amount you are financing with loans vs paying out of pocket by working. Also, don't be tempted to take out more than you need in loans. I had a habit of taking out a little more than I needed because I wasn't working so I needed money for food, beer, etc. Instead, pick up a job on campus for a few hours a week, donate plasma, or anything that will fund your "spending" money.