<prompt> Human: I was extremely irresponsible with student loans and managed to total about 160k in student debt between a combination of one private loan, a few federal loans and two parent plus loans for which I am responsible. I got a BBA in IT from a private university that I obviously couldnt afford. I am working full time in IT making about 46K a year. I am still just getting into the field and am looking for other positions that pay better as I definitely need a larger income. Honestly, any suggestions on managing this debt are greatly appreciated. I feel incredibly scared about my future right now, as I likely should be. I can give more info if needed. EDIT I know that Im not legally responsible, but I told my parents I would pay them and Im not going to just not do that.  <response>: A lot of people are saying youre not legally responsible for the parent plus loan. Thats correct, but if youre like me and took out whatever you could to pay for college which it sounds like, you made an implicit agreement with your parents that you were going to pay it off. Morally, you would have an obligation to repay that loan, and I would be loathe to renege on my word to my parents of all people.Even if you didnt make an agreement with them, its still your education, and I would argue that you owe it to them to pay it off. See if theyve already claimed the American Opportunity Tax Credit for your time in college. If they have, perhaps they would be willing to commit that 1,000yr to your student loans. 4,000 could certainly help with payback. 