I went to grad school at 44 and didn't want to take on student loan debt. Thanks to my side hustle, I graduated debt-free.

The author (not pictured) went back to school to become a teacher. Ekaterina Goncharova/Getty Images It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. When I realized I wanted to be a teacher, I wasn't willing to take on student loan debt. I used income from my side hustle, freelance writing, to get my master's debt-free. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to be. After having kids, I finally knew, but didn't have time. Only in midlife did I make the transition t...