How I Paid Off $220,000 of Pharmacy School Loans

I graduated in 2022 with close to $280,000 in pharmacy school loans. Since then, I have paid off about $220,000.

Everyone’s situation is different: income, family support, cost of living, interest rates, the whole picture. This is not a template. It is just what worked for me.

I still went on mini trips. I still made time for friends. I still wanted a life that felt like mine, not a 10-year countdown to forgiveness.

Foundation (pharmacy school)

I started paying these loans back while I was still in school.

I held a pharmacy internship throughout pharmacy school, and I treated that paycheck like it had a job: small, frequent payments so interest could not just sit there growing. If I had unused or excess loan money left at the end of a semester, it went right back. I did not “treat myself” with money that was never really mine.

I also lived with roommates for the first three years to keep rent from eating me alive. I still budgeted for little trips and things with friends, because burnout is expensive too. Balance was not a reward I would maybe get later. It was part of how I survived school.

Momentum (graduation and residency)

Right before I graduated, I started a digital study guide business. That side hustle is PharmacyGuides, the same guides students use now for school, rotations, and boards.

During residency, my salary covered living expenses. Side hustle money went to loans. I kept paying even during the interest freeze, because I did not want to lose the habit the second it got slightly easier.

That stretch was a lot: new graduate, residency, a new business, and a loan balance that still felt huge. I was tired. I was also very clear about where the money was going.

Why I did not want to wait on PSLF

Even when I was originally on the clinical route, I never wanted to depend on Public Service Loan Forgiveness. I did not want my career options to be tied to staying somewhere for 10 years just so the rest might get wiped.

I have had so many people tell me they are only putting up with a clinical role they are not even happy in so they can have loans forgiven later. I get why that feels like the safer plan. It just was not the one I wanted. I wanted to be able to leave, pivot, or try something new without feeling stuck.

Acceleration (pharmacist-in-charge, then industry)

Then came the “big-girl” role: pharmacist-in-charge. Salary covered living expenses, savings and investments, and loans. I kept growing the study guide business and used that income for travel and fun, with everything else going to loans.

After that, I pivoted into an industry / pharma role. Higher income, more expenses covered, and bonuses. Those extras went to the loans too. That is when I could pay more consistently without negotiating with myself every month.

Once I started the industry job, most of my travel has been for work. I still get to keep the hotel and airline points, so the trips feel like a perk even when they are on the calendar for work.

If you want the actual roadmap for that kind of move, I laid it out on the Industry Pivot page.

Intentionality

I still put money into high-yield savings and retirement the entire time. Paying loans faster did not mean ignoring everything else.

A large portion of my income (full-time plus the side hustle), plus extras like bonuses and tax refunds, went to the loans. If extra money showed up, it had a destination.

Close to $280,000 to start. About $220,000 paid so far. No shortcuts. A 3-year internship I was lucky to have, a business I started before I had my degree, and enough balance to keep going.

Those study guides I built as a side hustle live on the Study Guides page. And if loans, residency, or “how do I even start?” is weighing on you, we can talk it through in a 30-minute mentorship session.