<prompt> Human: This year, ill turn 32 and complete my graduate degree with nearly 100,000 in loan debt. I wish I knew the things I know now about college, debt, and personal finance. Ill spare everyone the long sob story, but, due to a variety of reasons, I know that Im about 7 years behind where I need to be in all aspects in life. But for now Ill focus on money. Under ideal circumstances, I would have completed my graduate education at 24-25 yo and entered the workforce as a teacher in California Im a sub right now. I would have been earning income starting at 45,000 and going up from there based on annual raises. A few months ago I panicked and realized I can never get that time back. Its gone forever.But perhaps there is a way to earn back some of that money. Perhaps by working extra hours or extra jobs? I dont know if it is even realistically possible. Were talking about 12k-15k hours of post-college income. Do people do this? Am I crazy for considering this?  <response>: Honestly, I think its pointless to somehow try and make up, or recover, that lost time. That kind of mind set just keeps you stuck in the past, instead of focusing on today and on your future.Ask yourself what you can do starting today to build financial independence. Follow the flowchart laid out in our wiki, make sound financial decisions from here on, but dont dwell on the numbers too much. Life is here to be enjoyed.Cheers! 