I don't have any experience managing debt, so I'm afraid I can't really offer advice there, but as another late starter I just wanted to say congratulations for getting where you are, and to offer you some encouragement. There's nothing embarrassing about going to university later in life! Starting later will affect your long-term wealth to an extent, but you've still got more than enough time ahead of you to save for a deposit, pay off a house, and retire with a decent pension.

With few exceptions, those that are younger than you but appear to have all the wealth in the world will be faking it and buying stuff that is absolutely crazy when you compare it to their actual wages: luxury cars on PCP deals, flash watches, designer clothes, etc. It's all stuff that few people in their twenties can really afford but continue to buy because they have no idea whatsoever how to manage their finances. They'll be racking up the same debt that you now seek to pay down. Most working people at any age have no emergency fund and no real financial plan, they just live from payday to payday. A shockingly low proportion of the population pays into a private pension or an ISA.

By asking these questions and dealing with your debt now, while later than some you've put yourself in better stead than most of the population for the next few decades of your working life. Take heart - there is a path out of debt and you've started to walk it just by thinking about it.