<prompt> Human: I finished school in Dec 2010. Im proud to report I just scheduled my loan payoff payment. I want to thank this community and share my experience. Youre teaching me all the things about money my family never did. Thank you!Tl;Dr - Student loans add up and then become huge, pay as much as you can and when you get raises dont change your lifestyle!How I Got All This Debt Bachelors in computer engineering from a fancy private school 1998-2002 - 60KI had tons of grants and scholarships, but I also had to take out the max in loans, as well as some extras to cover my parents portion when their finances tanked. PhD in EE 2004-2010 - 20KMy program was funded but I got divorced in my 5th year and took out loans to be a buffer and cover firstlast months rent and funds while I found a jobIn total I owed 80K, 450month with rates from 3.25-6.8How I Paid it Off 2002-2004, Salary 30K, Paid 450month minimumsI did 1 internship in college but mostly focused on research. When I graduated during the DotCom crash half my graduating class couldnt find a job, including me. I did temp work in offices, tutored high school, taught summer camp, etc to pay the bills then went back to grad school.I always lived with roommates. I bought a Hyundai and paid it off in 3 years. I minimized eating out and buying anything I didnt need. I did still travel to see family and go to music events for entertainment. I didnt feel completely deprived but was hoping for more security and flexibility in the future. 2004-2010, Salary 25k stipend during PhD, loans deferred 2011-2012, Salary 45K, Paid 800monthWorked as a post-doc on an exciting project with good potential to become a spin-off companyStill lived with a roommate then later SO. No major lifestyle changes but a little more wiggle room in the budget. Started buying things of higher quality, but only when I needed them, not just wanted them. 2012- 2013, Salary 80K got promoted in the same lab 70K got married, paid 3-5kmonthI became the project manager of my team and got married. We ramped up the loan payments and started contributing appropriately to retirement.We didnt change anything major about our lifestyle. We didnt redecorate. Didnt buy another car. Didnt move into a bigger apartment. Didnt buy anything we didnt actually need. A non-negligible fraction of my clothes still come from used clothing stores because theyre cheap and functional! We both bus commute so that Hyundai is 10 years old with 40K miles on it. It will last another decade.We did give ourselves more wiggle room for entertainment, self-care, and purchasing things we need of higher quality. Spending a few hundred a month on things we didnt need, but enjoyed, still fit in our debt payment goals. Today, after cost of living and merit raises and bonuses were currently pulling in 180k together. Were starting to save for a house now and have some stock options to give us a head start. Now were saving that 4-5K a month for the house.Lessons Learned At 17 the adults in my life said go to a good school, get a useful degree, and youll get a job. Thats a lie! They said student loans arent a big deal! youre getting so much aid! Thats a lie! I should have gotten more internships in college and focused on networking to get that first job. I did a lot of lab research instead which made me a great candidate for the PhD, but not employable in an entry level engineering position. I bought the cheapest new car I could find, but would have been fine financing a 1-2 year old car. I had NO experience in financing cars my family had never done it and made a mistake. It was still only a 14K car so not a giant mistake. Dont let your lifestyle inflate with your income, until youre satisfied with your savings rate or debt payment rate. Its hard to go backward. If you get comfortable living on less you can crush your debts!On the Personal SideI have been in debt since I was born. My parents were TERRIBLE with money. I was never homeless but my bedroom was the living room couch for years. We all worked in the family business to help pay family bills as soon as we were useful and I spend many holidays and summers working when my friends were playing. The electricity got turned off several times and I was aware that we were always 2-3 months behind on rent. I have worked VERY hard to create a safer, more secure, and responsible life for myself. Next week is my 34th birthday and Im currently 4 months pregnant with my first child. This baby will be born into a debt free life. With an e-fund, and retirement, and parents who are doing everything in their power to provide safety and security. I have changed my familys future! with my husbands help of course Ill continue learning from this community and improving our financial lives. Thank you!  <response>: go to a good school, get a useful degree, and youll get a job. Thats a lie!Maybe they phrased it wrong. go to school, get a useful degree, youll get a career is what they meant. And obviously they were right--you wouldnt be making 80K if you hadnt served your time in the trenches like everyone else. Anyway, I agree with everything else you say and congratulations on a job well done. Students coming out of college with 80K in debt or more is insanity and it has to end. 