Career advice: It's Not Too Late to Switch Careers

The good news is that your young age allows you time to change careers without branding a stigma. Working in nursing won't close doors to other areas. Most people are only beginning to truly understand what they want to do in their early 30s.

That said, your dilemma is how best to get out of debt. You have three options. First, you can continue in nursing in a setting other than a hospital that will allow you to earn a good salary. Mental health is one possibility. Another move would be to jump ship, switch into the business world and leave nursing, knowing it's unlikely that you'll earn the kind of money you make now. Finally, you can apply for a business or sales position at a pharmaceutical company or hospital-supply company, which will allow you to apply your nursing-related knowledge. Then maybe you can earn a competitive salary after a year or two.

To determine which way to go, you must decide what's most important. You also must be realistic. This debt is not going to miraculously go away just because you're unhappy with your career and want to start over. You're going to have to pay it, so you decide if you want to do that in a short or long time frame. If you decide on the shorter one, you'll probably need to stay in nursing for a few more years and put every extra penny you make towards the reduction of the debt. If you decide you can take a longer time to pay it off, you might be able to secure a job that you'll enjoy more, even though you may be paid less. Whatever option you choose, you'd be wise to visit a nonprofit agency to talk about your debt and make a plan to ensure that you avoid accumulating additional debt.