Salary
Average Salary: $75,970
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $3,171,596
Credit analysts are doing pretty well for themselves, banking an average of $75,970 per year (source). And, knowing them, they'll be able to make that money stretch even further; after all, we are talking about all-star financial mathletes here.
Like most jobs, whether you're on the losing or winning side of that average will depend on where you work and who you're working for. Credit analysts stuck running car loans in Wisconsin probably aren't making the same as big bank analysts on Wall Street.
Your student loan payments shouldn't be too bad, as most analysts get to join the party with only a bachelor's degree instead of some fancy-pants MBA. Though, if you were to get that fancy-pants MBA, you might be making a bit more money to start, or be able to more easily snag one of the cushier jobs.
For you, the really good news is you'll always have a financial buffer should you ever get behind on your bills. As a credit analyst, we suspect your credit rating will be stellar, and you'll probably know more about the ins and outs of the loan business than anyone. Who needs to worry about credit debt with a $100,000-limit, ten-pound, platinum mega credit card?