Two jobs, $75,000 in student debt: How one Florida woman works to get by

Some days for Rachel Jordan start at 5 a.m. and don’t end until midnight — sometimes for multiple days in a row.“I’m just exhausted, honestly,” she said in an interview

Some days for Rachel Jordan start at 5 a.m. and don’t end until midnight — sometimes for multiple days in a row.

“I’m just exhausted, honestly,” she said in an interview.

Jordan, 43, is one of the millions of Americans who work two jobs to get by as they try to pay down debts they incurred early in life. With about $75,000 in outstanding student loan debt, Jordan often works 70 hours a week to pay it down.

Although she’s not required to make payments since her loans are in forbearance, Jordan said she usually aims to pay a minimum of $1,600 a month while working toward a larger monthly payment goal of $2,000.

Living in Tampa, Florida, Jordan shares a one-bedroom apartment with her French bulldog and generally tries to keep her living expenses low to focus on her loans. Her early job consists of servicing commercial real estate loans. Once that shift is done, she’ll get a short break to take care of her dog before heading to Target, where she works in the kids clothing section.