<p>Student loans should be used as a last resort. I had a relatively modest amount of loans when I graduated from college and was in a marketable field (IT). Nevertheless, I was starting out in life, supporting a wife and a baby on the way. Having student loans meant driving modest cars and struggling to buy our first home. If you can avoid them, do so! Believe me, I graduated from a relatively good private school, but I worked alongside with graduates of “lesser” schools, all of whom had the same starting salary and growth opportunities at a well known, “top” employer in the nation.</p>