<prompt> Human: Im 28 years old and graduated from school 6 years ago with a BFA and an insane amount of debt for someone my age. I use the word insane to describe the debt load because the relative job prospects I am encountering make it seem like it will never be paid off with my income. I was wondering if anyone had any starting advice for getting this under control, paying it off someday, and hopefully achieving some financial security. Any stories from people in similar situations would be incredibly helpful as Ive been beyond stressed by this for a long time and dont know if it will ever get better. The details: Loans: Originally took out around 90K in private and 40K in federal, but with the private loan currently in default and a high interest rate due to me being the only signer, its probably ballooned an exceptional amount. I would just say to go with 200k in loans at this point, 160k of that being private. It might be even more, but I am honestly afraid to look. Income: Currently between jobs, but hoping to find one soon in the 35-45k range. That is about as much as I can expect with my skill set at the moment. Living Expenses: Im single and live alone. When my lease is up Im hoping to move someplace much cheaper, hopefully in the 300-400 a month range probably a shared living space to get that low of a rent. Monthly expenses total about 700I understand its my job to pay this off, and Im not making excuses for loans I took out, but I feel so trapped by decisions I made as an inexperienced 18 year old from a very poor family, with no financial literacy at all, being told college was my only option to escape being poor myself. I would do a million things differently now if I had the chance, but this is the set of circumstances I am currently dealing with. I honestly feel like I should never have gone to school at all.With my limited income, no foreseeable spouse in the future to share costs with, and debt load that is growing bigger and bigger because of default and high interest ratesfees, is there any hope for paying this debt off within 20 years?  <response>: What I can say to you is this: First you should find out exactly how much you owe. I know you said youre too scared to look, but you have to know.Second, lower your expenses as much as much as possible. You said you live alone. Even now, can you get someone to live with you and share expenses?Third, you simply need to get a second job. No way around this. 35-45K isnt enough to pay off those debts. Maybe try being a server at a restaurant or bartender. I hear you can make some pretty decent money doing that in a relatively short shift. 