Should I Take On New Student Loans

I moved in with my parents after graduating college and was able to pay off my student loans in a short period of time. I am getting ready to get married in August and my fiance thinks that I should consider going to Pharmacy school. It is something I had considered during College but never applied so never got around to going. My fiance's Grandpa, mother, and brother are all pharmacists so she's encouraging me to go to Pharmacy school. I wouldn't be able to start until Fall 2010 because I missed the deadline to apply for entry this fall but I just can't decide if I should or not. I have worked so hard to get us out of debt and the thought of not working for 5 years and racking up another 100K in student loans really makes me nervous. We would have to live off of her salary. I am getting ready to turn 27 so I would be in school until my early 30's which would also force us to put off having a family. What's everybody's opinion? The reason she is encouraging me to do this is because I'm not happy with where I am right now careerwise and am looking for a change.

Are YOU interested in Pharmacy? Because what I'm hearing is "she says....she says....she says.....her family says....."

I strongly advise you both to sit down and hash this out. Does she truly understand that this means putting off having a family? -- or is she actually secretly thinking that if she juuuuust haaaaappens to get pregnant (oops!) God will provide? Does she truly understand that she alone will be the major breadwinner? Has she ever lived with someone who is studying for an advanced degree -- does she truly understand the toll it takes on a relationship? -- do you? (Ask my husband about the toll it takes...we survived, but it took a lot of compromises, and there were many periods of bitterness and anger, and feeling that one or the other was unfairly shouldering the burden, etc.)

If Pharmacy is your dream, and you've got a supportive partner, then go for it! If you're only choosing it because your wife's family has a nice house and a nice car, and heck any idiot can count pills and put them in a bottle, then perhaps you should rethink your career direction.

Great advice, Puck, as always. :-)

You'll do well if you take this advice, waynenewton. At least you'll have a fighting chance, because rarely do our best-laid plans work out the way we hoped.