I was stupid in my twenties. Well, not classically stupid. I earned multiple degrees and a professional designation, none of which were well thought out and all of which came with a hefty price tag.
Maybe financially frivolous is a better word?
Like many millennials, I invested pretty heavily in my education, perhaps a little too heavily, and now I am staring down the barrel of $72,072.49 loan.
Granted, I’m incredibly lucky because the federal portion (which makes up the majority) has zero interest. Still, it makes my stomach churn to think about having to pay $697.55 each month for the next 111 months. Maybe a couple of years and a couple of salary bumps later that sum won’t hurt so much, but right now it stings like a fire ant.
At 17, and again at 25, I had imagined that assuming this debt would translate to a starting salary commiserate with my monthly payments but, as many might have warned me, it did not.
And to be clear, I’m not complaining. I know that I’m incredibly privileged to have such access to education. I feel lucky that I was able to take the scenic route to a career path that I feel passionate about and one that has seemingly endless growth opportunities. However, I do wish I’d been a little more diligent when it came to saving while in…
