Debt Avoidance "Suddenly, it was clear to me that my freedom had been compromised and that..." Wave Riding > Debt Servicing Debt...ugh!  Where do I start on a topic that I hate so much?  Let's go back to the summer of 1996.  After two years of full-time graduate school, I had just finished an  MBA   and my  MATL .  In July, I landed my first job after graduate school, a position as an ESL instructor in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.  At the time, it was the best job I ever had:  $39,000 a year (mostly tax-free), 401k with automatic 10% employer contribution, housing, and the use of a car.  My only expenses were for food and phone calls. I was very happy to have the job because I had a $20,000 student loan that I wanted to pay off.  I was 33 years old, and I had never been in debt...EVER.  I realized that I should use my first job to pay down my loan as quickly as possible.…