<prompt> Human: I am approaching the end of my 20s. My long-term partner and I have had a combined income of less than 36k for several years. I was accepted this year into graduate school masters for speech-language pathology. This would potentially put me into a total debt of 65-70k. Is this a mistake? It would be hard to make LESS than I do now in my current full time job. SLP jobs make about 45k starting out in my state and there are plenty of jobs, many of which would probably qualify for public service loan forgiveness. That being said, Im very nervous about the price tag. I am values-oriented and like hands-on work, which makes this profession appealing to me vs. a desk job. But, I am worried I should be trying to get a desk job I have a 4.0 from undergrad at a good school and some non-profit experience that would pay for a different degree. But I dont want to wait too much longer because I want kids and pets! Or at least a PhD and pets! My partner is trying to change career fields because he is tired of getting by paycheck to paycheck too; but Im not sure how long that would take. Am I being too ambitious to get this degree, or should I go for it because itd be hard to be worse off than my current 20kyear, which has been leading to debt?  <response>: As someone who just finished graduate school myself, the short answer is that its a good long-term investment, but be prepared for you financial situation to stall while still in school. I was in a similar position - very low-paying job without a specialized grad degree - and I knew that by going back to school, my earning potential would increase and Id be more qualified for a job in the field I want to work in. However, those couple of years of grad school are rough - even with a GA position and a second job, saving moneygetting out of debt was extremely difficult with taking out additional debt and being in a low-paying position. Now that Im out, Im on a much better path, and although I do have more student debt, my salary is much higher with more potential for growth, so I feel confident that I can knock it out while still improving my quality of life and day-to-day experience in a job I really enjoy. 