Going back to school. Could use a little advice.

[JasonSnake]

Several years ago I was going to school full-time at a local college and they had what is called "Work-study". Basically, you get to work for the school or tutor at primary schools. I took the tutoring job but only offered 10 hours a week @ $10. This was pretty crappy pay, but to augment on that, several parents had personally asked me to tutor their kids after school as well and they would pay me out of their pocket in cash. One lady was paying me $20 a day to tutor her 1st grader after school because it was also impossible for her to pick her up when school ended. After a while it worked out OK. Even now-a-days, primary schools desperately need tutors and sub teachers.

 

[Givens]

When I was in school I usually took 12 hours and worked about 40 hours a week it was tough but I really didn't have any other option. I wasn't married and lived with 2 other people and didn't have a whole lot but made it work. There are lots of thing you could do like motioned above waiter, bartender, but there are lot of other business that stay open 7 days a week like these big hardware stores Lowes and Home Depot. There is always the retail world, Academy, Walmart, Target yada yada yada.

Only other advice I have for you is what ever your going to school for make sure its specific and there are jobs radially available. My sister received a sign on bonus 6 month before she graduated and two of my buddies graduated with mechanical engineering degrees and had interviews and were hired before they graduated. Schools still offer degrees that are worthless and will take your money for those degrees.

Good luck

 

[hb712]

Definitely need more info, like another poster requested. Based on what you've already said, my suggestions are these:

-Look at federal loans/grants/scholarships. Nobody wants to take out a loan for school, but most people ultimately have to. The majority of the time, these loans cover not only tuition, but also some living expenses (try around $16,000 /year in law school). Speak with your school's financial aid office for more info about loans and non-repay grants/scholarships.

-Look for work on or near campus. The businesses around the campus area will be used to students in your situation and are far more flexible with hours. It should be easy to find a job that will allow you to afford your expenses.

-Work for the school. It can be hard to get a job with a school sometimes, but it's worth it if you can.

 

[stanggirl14]

It's a shame your current job can't be more flexible, I spent 5 yrs on a 2 yr graduate degree, felt like it took forever so I can see why you want to knock it out faster. I was lucky enough to have a flexible boss and used my vacation time when I was attending class to make my 40 hours per week, like you most of my classes were not online.

Good luck, it's not easy but should be worthwhile in the end!

 

[Torch10th]

First off sorry for the long drawn out post. Second if you don't have solid adive or experience with this matter please don't post anything.

So as the tittle says I have decided leave my job and go back to school. I finally found a degree program that makes me want to be in school again. The wife and I have talked in depth about it and took a very in depth look at our finances. Currently her income would be about $500 short of covering all our bills. Not that big of deal I thought initially.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to come up with that money plus a little more while taking 9 or more credits. My wife and I have a substantial savings that we could live off of for a while if needed but we have both worked hard to put that money in the bank and I'd rather not use it unless there is simply no other choice.

We have talked about me staying at my current job and going to school but that simply will not work after my conversation with my boss yesterday. My job is only willing to work with me so much and I'm kind of pushing the limits already since I'll be starting this semester and will be leaving work early Monday and Wednesday for school. To a point I understand.

So that leaves me where I'm at right now, trying to figure out how to make ends meet down the road. I know a lot of people do this but how did you go about making ends meet? What jobs did you find?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Yeah we looked at that possibility and feel we have it covered. We actually looked at what we spend and save month to month and came up with $500 which is actually more then we need.

To give any reasonable advise more information is necessary. Your original statement suggests that by taking on this education piece, you will be $500.00 in the red each month. The quote below that suggests you are $500.00 in the black. Which is it, because financial advise will change dramatically based on that information.

What kind of debts do you have? Mortgage, credit card/s, car/s, taxes?
Assuming a 4 year degree do you have $24000 saved to cover a $500.00 per month deficit?
Would you have an emergency fund on top of the above funding?
How are you paying for school? Savings, grants, student loans?

Going back to school is not always the answer. Depending on how you do it and what you're going to school for, it's possible to find yourself in worse financial shape.

 

[JasonSnake]

Definitely need more info, like another poster requested. Based on what you've already said, my suggestions are these:

-Look at federal loans/grants/scholarships. Nobody wants to take out a loan for school, but most people ultimately have to. The majority of the time, these loans cover not only tuition, but also some living expenses (try around $16,000 /year in law school). Speak with your school's financial aid office for more info about loans and non-repay grants/scholarships.

-Look for work on or near campus. The businesses around the campus area will be used to students in your situation and are far more flexible with hours. It should be easy to find a job that will allow you to afford your expenses.

-Work for the school. It can be hard to get a job with a school sometimes, but it's worth it if you can.

I agree. Depending how difficult your classes are, it may be too difficult to work full-time while studying for core classes. It takes away from putting 100% of your concentration into school. I find that the older I get, the harder it has been to concentrate at school after a full day's work. Do school loans and then "concentrate" on paying them back after you graduate. You will always have flexibility on paying your loans back, depending on your income.