This is something I will go back and forth with myself with for one main reason: I will be graduating in a few months with my Bachelor's in Nursing.

    I know this number is outrageous. Trust me, I am not proud of it and please be kind, I am already bullying myself over this.

    I am a career switcher and never received any grants due to the fact that filing for FAFSA was using income information from when I was an engineer. I had paid out of pocket and supported my now ex-husband (who was in medical school) and myself which ran my accounts dry. I have always held the philosophy that I should borrow money so that I could focus in school and eliminate the risks of flunking out/held back.

    Skipping over a bunch of tangents to say that I will finish this degree with about 120k in debt and I am not sure the best way to tackle this. I have been looking in to the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment program and other avenues for loan forgiveness, but I am wary of being locked into a position that I could possibly hate and be burnt out from for 2-3 years. The other pathway I have is to just rely on myself: working nights/weekends for the differential, working 4 shifts/overtime for the additional pay, hopping jobs to give myself the promotion.

    If anyone has been in a similar position, I would love to hear your thoughts. Or really if anyone has words of advice, perspectives, or encouragement, it would be greatly appreciated

    EDIT: I have a job on campus, but it does not cover nearly enough. This grand total is a mix of private and federal loans that have covered both tuition and living expenses (which is the real killer)

    Will graduate with about 120K in debt
    byu/mcchickenfugget inStudentLoans



    Posted by mcchickenfugget

    2 Comments

    1. AdministrationIll619 on

      PSLF is my advice. I borrowed about the same as you for graduate school. I’ll hit 10 years of public service in a few weeks…

    2. Are these all federal loans? If so, find a PLSF-eligible job and pursue that. Don’t be too hard on yourself. $120k is a lot but it’s not extreme nor is it insurmountable, and nurses are paid pretty well.

    Leave A Reply