AITA for saying my wife needs to pay off her student loans before chasing her dream job?

Marriage is supposed to be about love, partnership, and supporting each other’s dreams… but what happens when those dreams come with a $200,000 price tag and a lifetime of financial strain? I never thought I’d be the kind of husband to say “no” to my wife’s ambitions, but here I am, stuck between protecting our future and watching her chase a path that could bury us in debt forever. She’s about to graduate from law school, but instead of becoming a lawyer like she planned, she’s decided she wants to be a teacher—a job that would slash her earning potential to almost nothing in our expensive city. And now I’m wondering if standing my ground makes me a heartless je*k… or the only one thinking rationally.

The Marriage, the Debt, and the Dream That Changed

The Kids, the Stay-at-Home Plan, and the Reality Check

The Fight That Shook Us

The Question I Haven’t Said Out Loud… Yet

So… Am I the Villain Here?

Let’s find out what other Redditors think about this story.

I love my wife deeply, but love doesn’t pay off nearly two hundred thousand dollars in student loans. I’m terrified that if she follows this new path, I’ll end up shouldering the debt alone while she works for a fraction of what she could earn, or stops working altogether to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m not trying to crush her dreams, but I can’t pretend the numbers add up when they don’t. So, am I wrong for telling her she needs to face reality before it’s too late… or is she asking me to sacrifice our entire future for the sake of her “dream job”?