make enough to afford to live anywhere nearby and still meet your obligations on the one hand and not being able to buy the newest and coolest pieces of technology on the other. How easy it will be to pay your loans will also depend on the cost of living in the area where you want to live and the salary you (and any partner you may have, but it's hard to plan for that years in advance) are able to earn with the university degree. It's always easier to think about the cool stuff university can get you (including the chance to live for several years in a community full of people your own age who enjoy having fun) than the downsides that are going to come later, so it's worth consciously making yourself think about it. Ultimately, of course, going to university is a gamble. So is not going to university. You're not guaranteed to get a good job either way, and you're not guaranteed to be unable to get a good job, either. A field that looks promising this year may look completely different in two years. And some people discover, in university or later, that they don't want to do what they thought they wanted to do. So think it through carefully, what you think your life will be like for the next few years if you do or don't go to university, what you think your life will be like 5 years from now if