Wiser Use of Money: Pay Off Student Loans / Invest

[Jurollo]

Hello all,
So I have a, possibly interesting question. I would like to preface it first though.

I have about 55k to invest / use. I have 35k in student loans and am 23 yrs of age.

My question is simply this. What is the more prudent investment, paying off student loans or investing in mutual funds or a spider that tracks various indexes. I have begun looking into obtaining some real estate, however, as a recent graduate without a legitimate (in the eyes of the IRS) occupation it has been very tough to obtain a mortgage. So what is the best move here aside from real estate, paying off student loans or investing?
~Justin