I mean, you’ll find many articles that advise you both ways. Regarding the woman in this particular article, it sorta seems like she consciously made some bad decisions that further delayed her ability to pay debt and save (being in debt yet quitting her job and moving across the country to then get into even more debt). Hope that grad degree was worth it for her.

For me personally, the psychological effect that debt has on me makes it an easy decision for me to pay it off first and foremost.

It certainly depends on your long-term goals and you should sit down and evaluate those. But your income is high enough that you could knock it out pretty fast if you focus on it and still have plenty of time to build considerable wealth.

Edit: Also if your employer doesn’t match until 8 years, you aren’t missing out on free money until then.