Did anyone here go to college while working a full time job?

[luciusad2004]

Hey all,
I dropped out of college a few years back and have regretted it ever since. Now that I'm working i don't know how to go back to school. I've recently started looking for a place to live as my room mate bailed on me at the end of last month and all of the apartments I'm finding are much more expense than i assumed a small studio or one room apartment would be.

I'd really love to go back to school but I don't even know how i can afford to live as it is, much less if I have to start paying tuition and working less hours to focus on my education. Anybody here go through this? Is it even possible to go to school full time and hold down a full time job to keep paying rent and bills?

I just don't know what to do anymore. It's like I can't get anywhere in life. I thought I had finally set myself up with a decent job (making a "whopping" 12 an hour) only to find out that doesn't go as far as I thought it would. There's like, zero hope for promotions were I'm at, not that would net me much more money. The real worlds just so much more difficult that I thought it would be and I feel like I'm running out of options. I don't know what to do anymore.

[Fuganater]

Tech school. I went to Pittsburgh Technical Institute and was doing 2 majors. One of them was night class where we had lots of "non traditional" students. Meaning adults there (30+) If you can score a student loan still I would suggest tech school night classes. Will take you 2-3 years to get your AS and then the world is your oyster.

This is all assuming that you want a IT degree. Out of college I scored a Federal job making $25+ an hour at age 20.

[Airbozo]

Yes. It is difficult but can be done.

The wife worked 2-3 PT jobs while in college (I've seen the pictures and she looked really nice in that miniskirt the bar made her wear).

I worked 1 full and a part time job off and on. The worst part is finding the time to study. If you are dedicated you can do it.

The really nice part was graduating with zero debt. One of my friends is still paying off student loans 10 years after he graduated.

One option is to go to community college since the tuition is really cheap. Once you get the fluff classes out of the way, transfer to a 4 year college and get your major.

One thing I always tell people is to search out and apply for grants. millions of dollars in grants go unused in this country because people either don't know about them or think they do not qualify. Some are a couple hundred dollars and some are full tuition. 8 years ago I got a wild hair after being laid off from SGI and went to Culinary school. I applied for dozens of grants and when I got approved, I didn't need them anymore so I donated the $$ to the Culinary program for other students that did need them. Some students got more money from grants than college cost and they ended up paying for rent, food and insurance.

Good luck!

[xr4man]

i'm doing the community college thing right now. i work full time. sometimes it sucks, but you just keep going. i'd suggest staying away from "short term" classes.

[luciusad2004]

Yes. It is difficult but can be done...
Good luck!

You don't have to answer if it's to persoanl but did you go to school in CA? I remember you used/do live in an area that my dad used to live.

I thought about moving out west for school but got scared off by the price of housing out there. I don't know if i should expect to make more money in CA but the price of renting a room in the area's that I like could get me a 2 BR apartment were I'm at in PA. CA just seems so impossible.

i'm doing the community college thing right now. i work full time. sometimes it sucks, but you just keep going. i'd suggest staying away from "short term" classes.

What do you mean short term?

Thanks for the input so far guys. My employer will actually pay for related school but the schools I were interested in would require moving to far away from my employer.

[Airbozo]

You don't have to answer if it's to persoanl but did you go to school in CA? I remember you used/do live in an area that my dad used to live.

I thought about moving out west for school but got scared off by the price of housing out there. I don't know if i should expect to make more money in CA but the price of renting a room in the area's that I like could get me a 2 BR apartment were I'm at in PA. CA just seems so impossible.

I actually went to several schools. Front Range CC in Longmont, CO, CU Boulder (CO), and Regis College in Denver. At the time I was too white and too male to qualify for any grants or tuition assistance and my mom was years over due on her student loans and they disqualified my just because of that. I have to really thank her for that or I would have been in debt for school too...

Culinary school was at Cabrillo College south of Santa Cruz, CA. $13 a unit for residents (at least it used to be).

Housing in Ca is expensive. Santa Cruz county is one of the most expensive counties in the country as far as housing costs go but there is assistance available for low income families. My neighbor rents his run down 3 br 2 ba house for over $3000/mo. My mortgage is less than half that, but I bought a long time ago. Wages are usually higher in almost all professions. Transportation costs are high too. Gas is through the roof right now with a $4.30 average for regular (I pay $7.99/gal for 100 Octane for my bike). Last time I checked food prices were fairly inexpensive compared to most of the country since a lot of the food is grown just south of the Bay Area.

I have lived in several places around the country and will never give up my house in California, even if I move out of state.

[d_stilgar]

I've done full time school and a half time job before. My wife and I lived such a meager lifestyle then that we actually were able to make money and save going to school. That included money made from work as well as Pell Grants. That combined with really cheap rent, really cheap tuition, and mostly included utilities made that possible.

Personally though, I would either A) Work Full time during the day and take part time night classes until you get your degree, B) Work Full time during the day and take part time school at night until you can afford from savings to quit your job and quickly finish school, or C) Quit your job and go to school full time taking out loans or whatever you need to do to make it work.

I would say if you go with option C, make sure you have a plan for how long you will be in school, where each dollar will go, and how long you will take to pay back your loans as soon as you are out.

[luciusad2004]

I actually went to several schools. Front Range CC in Longmont, CO, CU Boulder (CO), and Regis College in Denver. At the time I was too white and too male to qualify for any grants or tuition assistance and my mom was years over due on her student loans and they disqualified my just because of that. I have to really thank her for that or I would have been in debt for school too...

Culinary school was at Cabrillo College south of Santa Cruz, CA. $13 a unit for residents (at least it used to be).

Housing in Ca is expensive. Santa Cruz county is one of the most expensive counties in the country as far as housing costs go but there is assistance available for low income families. My neighbor rents his run down 3 br 2 ba house for over $3000/mo. My mortgage is less than half that, but I bought a long time ago. Wages are usually higher in almost all professions. Transportation costs are high too. Gas is through the roof right now with a $4.30 average for regular (I pay $7.99/gal for 100 Octane for my bike). Last time I checked food prices were fairly inexpensive compared to most of the country since a lot of the food is grown just south of the Bay Area.

I have lived in several places around the country and will never give up my house in California, even if I move out of state.

Wow, that's pretty pricey. My Dad offered to let me stay in a studio apartment attached to his house but I wasn't sure what he would want out of the deal. Ideally I'd like to live somewhere along the Monteray Bay, Either around Monteray or around Santa Cruz. Is CA still a great place to be for the Tech industry or is it getting to the point were there are more job seekers than actual jobs? My other big fear was that i would move out to CA to get a job in tech and then just end up 1 of a million other people with the same great idea.

My current plan though was to just go to a State school here in PA. I already qualify for in state tuition and I have some friends I could try to move in with. I don't know what sort of financial aid i'll qualify for anymore though since I've been working for a few years. I figure it'd be cheaper to go to school here and then move when I find a job worth moving for.

[dr.walrus]

I worked 25 hours a week through uni... even without being full time, it's hard, but it's doable. You really, really need to get your head down - say goodbye to a social life for a little while!

[jdbnsn]

It is definitely manageable, and certainly not easy. I started college while working full time in a Payless Shoe source warehouse unloading tailors with lots of mandatory overtime but it was all night shift. Once I ran out of classes that were available at night I had to switch to daytime school with a full-time yet low demand afternoon and evening jobs in a coffee shop and gym. During the first year of med school I had two part time jobs but honestly I can't say that I put in many hours, less that 20/wk I'm sure.
Here is what I have learned. Options are everywhere but they rarely materialize before your eyes. Instead they tend to find you when you are fully exerting your effort toward a goal and catch the notice of someone looking for someone just like you. Also, you need oxygen, fresh clean water, minimal amounts of food, a roof-like substance over your head, and tuition money. With the possible exception of medications almost everything else around you is not only an unnecessary expense but also a distraction. With no TV I have gotten more work done than ever before. You may feel unmotivated in your current position because of the hopeless feeling generally spreading across the nation. You may even doubt your own abilities in terms of stamina and focus. But what you may learn about your self from the challenge can change your life. In many cases much like my own, the power to get it done isn't evident until you are in the fire. Then, it's the rush you feel from accomplishment that drives you ever further. My advice would be identify what you would love to do all day long for a living and drop all the baggage, and drive...