I recently came off first year pay. It isn’t easy, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had originally thought. My cars were paid off and the only debt I had was my mortgage. 3 kids under 13. Single income household. I have a frugal wife that was coupon crazy and every little bit helped. Some folks max out credit cards or take out some home equity to get by. I would say that is a last resort. In short, it’s only a year and I’d guess most everyone can do it. Good luck at the interviews!