Going back to school... full time?

sheishollywood · Jun 24th, 2008, 12:05 AM

I have been working and schooling for the last year and a half... I thought about going back to school full time but it is really hard to break out of my life style. I make pretty decent money right now however with my tuition, books, etc, it feels like I spend a lot and save only a little. When I started to work I started to lease my car because I was able to write a lot of my payments off. If I decide to go back to school, I might not even have time for a part-time job...

I don't know how to make this work... it is such a difficult situation because I don't really have any help from my parents etc.

CivicGirl · Jun 24th, 2008, 05:21 PM

Are you in undergrad? If so, you probably have another 2.5 years to go. That's a long time (IMO) to be a full-time student without other sources of income. Can you look into scholarships or grants? That would definitely help with covering some costs.

Another option would be to take a year (or so) off from school and work full-time, so you can try to save up as much money as you can, then return to school full-time.

It's tough working and schooling at the same time... hang in there though b/c it'll be worth it in the end

digby723 · Jun 24th, 2008, 07:45 PM

I can understand where you are coming from! When I decided to go back full time last year, I hadn't been to school in over a year, and was working full time in a retail job, making almost 2k/month. It was really hard to quit and go part-time, because my monthly income now under half of what I made. It was really hard to sort out my lifestyle that I had become accustomed to, and, I'm still paying off debt from last year. I've reduced it by about half, but, when I need something, I don't have the $ to spend like I did last year (esp. w/ gas prices!!!) and it ends up going on a CC. If you decide to go back full time, look into scholarships/grants or loans that you pay back when you graduate. I'm lucky and my parents agreed to pay for pretty much everything, to encourage me making the right decision to go back to school. (And believe me, I really messed things up, with school and my parents about 2 years ago). Myabe your parents can give you an interest free loan? I wish you luck and I hope everything works out for you!!

Jun 24th, 2008, 12:05 AM	#1
sheishollywood INDEPENDENTBYCHOICE Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Vancouver Posts: 3,017	Going back to school... full time? I have been working and schooling for the last year and a half... I thought about going back to school full time but it is really hard to break out of my life style. I make pretty decent money right now however with my tuition, books, etc, it feels like I spend a lot and save only a little. When I started to work I started to lease my car because I was able to write a lot of my payments off. If I decide to go back to school, I might not even have time for a part-time job... I don't know how to make this work... it is such a difficult situation because I don't really have any help from my parents etc. __________________ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it"

Jun 24th, 2008, 07:45 PM	#3
digby723 Member Joined: May 2006 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 2,748	I can understand where you are coming from! When I decided to go back full time last year, I hadn't been to school in over a year, and was working full time in a retail job, making almost 2k/month. It was really hard to quit and go part-time, because my monthly income now under half of what I made. It was really hard to sort out my lifestyle that I had become accustomed to, and, I'm still paying off debt from last year. I've reduced it by about half, but, when I need something, I don't have the $ to spend like I did last year (esp. w/ gas prices!!!) and it ends up going on a CC. If you decide to go back full time, look into scholarships/grants or loans that you pay back when you graduate. I'm lucky and my parents agreed to pay for pretty much everything, to encourage me making the right decision to go back to school. (And believe me, I really messed things up, with school and my parents about 2 years ago). Myabe your parents can give you an interest free loan? I wish you luck and I hope everything works out for you!! __________________

Jun 24th, 2008, 05:21 PM	#2
CivicGirl wahoowa Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 173	Are you in undergrad? If so, you probably have another 2.5 years to go. That's a long time (IMO) to be a full-time student without other sources of income. Can you look into scholarships or grants? That would definitely help with covering some costs. Another option would be to take a year (or so) off from school and work full-time, so you can try to save up as much money as you can, then return to school full-time. It's tough working and schooling at the same time... hang in there though b/c it'll be worth it in the end