$93K Lump Sum Payment to Nelnet

I payed off the rest of my student loans by making a large, lump-sum payment to Nelnet for a little over $93k this week. The steps that I took were calling Nelnet to make them aware that I'd be making the payment, along with contacting my bank so they didn't flag the transaction. It took only one business day to process and Nelnet was very efficient with closing the loans and updating the status to "Paid in Full." I've seen some horror stories here with making payments to student loan companies, but it honestly couldn't have gone any better.

Did it feel good to make the payment? Yes and No. I honestly feel a bit numb, but I think it will, in the long-term, be better for my mind overall to not have that debt looming over my head. For context, I'm a master's-level behavioral health clinician and I have a MSW in Clinical Social Work. I've never held the title of "social worker" and all of my roles have been as a Behavioral Health Clinician. I've worked for hospitals, outpatient clinics, and now work in the EAP world. I make a salary of $84,000 currently, although I've had salaries in the past that have payed up to $93K. (And yes, we can break six figures if we do a side hustle of private practice.)

Thankfully, I had no undergraduate debt., as my parents payed for my B.A., which was in Philosophy. I chose to go to graduate school for a master's in clinical social work, which put me close to $100K in debt, as I went to a private university.

Was it worth it? I believe that it was, because I'd probably be unemployed right now if I didn't have my master's and clinical licensure to practice as a therapist. I live in a very high-cost-of-living state, so $84K is tighter than I'd like, but I'm still thankful that I earned a degree that does lead to jobs and is still marketable in this horrific economy.

Overall, for those who didn't have their parents pay for four years of undergrad, I don't think it would have been worth it. If my undergrad and graduate tuition were factored in, it would have cost around $210,000 for my entire education (these figures are from tuition 15-20 years ago). Today, it would be closer to $260k adjusted for inflation and rising tuition costs for the schools that I attended. That's just now worth the ROI.

Just wanted to share my thoughts and experience with the student loan journey.

Best Wishes to All!