<prompt> Human: I graduated with a BA in Communications in 2014 and immediately got a job at Starbucks to earn some income while I waited for my longtime girlfriend to graduate approximately a year later. During that year I took advantage of some financial options that Starbucks offers and started a retirement fund, which I had split between a Roth and traditional 401k. I also began to make small contributions towards my loans. I did however qualify for an income-based repayment plan and am required to pay nothing on my loans. The contributions I was making was merely to stave off interest. My SO knew right away that she was getting her masters at a school in NYC, so quite naturally I also moved there with her. My career interest is in the music business and NYC is one of the best places to be. As I had suspected, and managed to prepare for at least a little bit, the move itself obliterated my savings. Between the moving truck rental and apartment deposits I currently have less than 1k to my name. The good news is I transferred to another Starbucks and got a small raise to about 11 an hour. Unfortunately I had to stop contributing to my 401k and havent made loan payments since June. Rent and food has been taking most of my income, but depending on the amount of hours I work a week, I usually manage to save a small amount.We moved to NYC August 1st, and since then I have been on the job hunt. Ive applied to 40-50 jobs, but havent had any luck. This has caused me to consider grad school. The program I would like to attend is at NYU, which is notoriously expensive. Ive been weighing the pros and cons on investing in my future and determined that the masters program I want to attend is a chance Im willing to take. It would solve almost all of my job-hunting dilemmas in the near future. The advice I need from rpersonalfinance is how should I handle my finances in the immediate future. Attending grad school would defer my current loans for two years, but I wont be able to work at Starbucks as much if Im attending school full time. Im afraid this would force me to take out more loans just to afford living expenses. I would also finish my masters degree with approximately an additional 90k in loans, not including any more I take out for living expenses. I appreciate any and all advice, and apologize for the long post!  <response>: Okay. Tough love time. Not trying to be a jerk here, but you need to hear this. I literally LOLd when I read this post, because its entirely unrealistic. 11hr is not a manageable salary in NYC, and a grad school assuming you can even get into one is going to make your financial problems worse, not better. NYU, while expensive, also offers some of the best scholarship options available at a top-tier school I got my BA there on a full ride scholarship. However, those options arent normally available for the most popular masters programs, and almost certainly wouldnt exist for anything like music or communications. Not to mention that they are highly competitive. And, not to be harsh, but if you spent your post-undergrad years doing nothing more than working at Starbucks I think you will have trouble getting accepted, let alone getting significant financial aid or a scholarship. If I would in your shoes, I would start by finding my way into a manageable income where I could start saving. NYC is the advertising epicenter of the world, and is therefore probably one of the only places where a communications major isnt worth less than the paper its printed on. Try to read up on the advertising industry they still really havent figured out social or digital media and are always looking for the next smooth-talking young person to teach them and attending networking events. Get a job that pays more that 25hr before you even think about grad school I realize to people who havent lived in NYC that may sound like a lot, but its basically just above the poverty line there. While youre doing all this, take some time to research the grad programs around you and really, REALLY think about what you want to achieve in your life. You dont need a masters degree just because your girlfriend is getting one, and both communications and music are fields in which higher education isnt going to offer you a lot of benefits. If all youre guaranteed to come out of your program with is a bunch of debt, DONT DO IT. NYC itself can be considered one of the greatest post-grad programs in the world. You will meet more connected people and be exposed to some of the very best opportunities on the planet. Dont waste your time there doing the same job you did back home for a dollar or two more per hour. 