<prompt> Human: My debt has been the sole cause of my misery for the better part of a decade now. Ive been to the point of considering suicide not recently, thankfully because of how far in I am over my head. I dont mean to sound dramatic, its the plain truth. Now, Ive finished school and Im making a very measly income, all things considered. Im getting closer and closer to 30, and its still weighing on me - but its also troublesome to my longtime girlfriend. She doesnt make a big issue of it, but I know shes concerned. So am I.So, short of looking for a better job much easier said than done, whats my best step forward? For a while I was considering bankruptcy to clear out all of my unsecured bad debt which Ive long since had charged off. But now it seems that it may be more beneficial to show good faith and try to pay off my creditors, no matter how small the payments though some are only willing to accept settlements, Ive found.Ive started paying on my current outstanding loans, and given my current budget, its a beating. Theres no way I could afford a reasonable monthly payment to all of my creditors without going hungry.Is bankruptcy really all that bad? Would it behoove me more to pay off my debts, slowly but surely? Im really not sure which way to go. EDIT: Sorry for going to bed or not following through, as one kind soul put it after initially posting last night. I didnt realize I would get such an immediatelarge response, because I never have in the past in other subreddits at least - and dont get me wrong, I am thankful for just about everybodys input. I appreciate those who have given me actual advice rather than judgment. Several folks have asked for more concrete details about my financial situation, so here you are. Total Debt: 64,038 Closed Credit CardsLoans: 5,921 Student Loans Charged off: 39,409 Open: 19,068.82 Direct Sub Stafford Loan - 4.5 Fixed - 5,778.07 Direct Sub Consolidation Loan - 5 Fixed - 6,763.15 Direct Unsub Stafford Loan - 6.8 Fixed - 3,695.37 Direct Sub Stafford Loan - 3.4 Fixed - 2,796.61 My Experian credit score is around 574 right now. I havent checked with the other two recently.EDIT 2: I majored in English Literature, for all those who have asked. Save me the speech on how that was a bad decision unless I wanted to teach, shouldve gotten a degree in something more marketable, etc., because Ive heard it all before. Hindsight is always crystal clear 2020.  <response>: You are not alone friend. 