I enrolled in college today!

[Puffnstuff]

Congrats OP. Investing in oneself is always worthwhile, regardless of age. I learned that from my mother, who graduated from college at age 52. Good luck in nursing school!

I am about to graduate at the age of 53 with a business Technical Management degree concentrated in human resources management. I left law enforcement to escape the us or them ravenous wolf pack mentality and went to manufacturing. I did very well there financially making well above median income that allowed me to provide a good life for my family as I raised my kids. Those days are leaving us everyday and I could see the external threats compounding themselves so I returned to school.

Yes I have retirement benefits from my years of work but I want more than that out of life so I chose a field that is on the rise as HRM shapes organizations for strategic and competitive advantage. In the old days personnel management just pushed paperwork but the new deal requires much more than that and I have extensive training experience which is a plus.

 

[Sonikku]

YAY

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-making-state-colleges-tuition-free-for-middle-class-poor/

 

[IronWing]

YAY

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-making-state-colleges-tuition-free-for-middle-class-poor/

If this applies to you then <High-5>.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Word to the mothership, take advantage of every break you can get. I have one more semester to complete my technical management degree and keeping a 4.0 GPA opened the doors to grant money and scholarships that have shaved thousands of dollars off my costs.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Word to the mothership, take advantage of every break you can get. I have one more semester to complete my technical management degree and keeping a 4.0 GPA opened the doors to grant money and scholarships that have shaved thousands of dollars off my costs.

Agreed. Consider not only the money saved off tuition, but the accrued interest at an average rate of 6.5% on top of that. Treat each class like something that's costing you money.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Agreed. Consider not only the money saved off tuition, but the accrued interest at an average rate of 6.5% on top of that. Treat each class like something that's costing you money.

I do which I why I try to absorb everything they are teaching me. Too many people take school for granted and only do what is required to pass the class. I see the standard set by the professor to achieve 100% as my minimum standard for performance.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I do which I why I try to absorb everything they are teaching me. Too many people take school for granted and only do what is required to pass the class. I see the standard set by the professor to achieve 100% as my minimum standard for performance.

I was fortunate enough to work my way through school....meaning, I worked full time from the time I was 19 while going to school full time. By the time I was 21, I had a salaried job that included tuition reimbursement. I finished 2 degrees with $1300 of school debt. My wife finished her second degree with around $90k of debt and most of my friends are still holding onto about $20-30k. $30k accrues about $1900 of interest at 6.5% annually....that's nuts.

I think the other biggest issue is that student loans can so easily cover living expenses that I see a lot of students charging their cost of living instead of paying that out of pocket or working as they go. For those of you who have young kids, do them a favor and start a 529. I opened a few accounts this year and am trying to make it easier on them than my friends had it. I know how fortunate I was.

 

[Sonikku]

Well it looks like I don't qualify for the excelsior scholarship because I've been to college before. I meet with a counselor and financial aid next week to see if I can make it work on tap an pell but the odds are against me. My hopes of going back to college look all but dead.

 

[lxskllr]

Well it looks like I don't qualify for the excelsior scholarship because I've been to college before. I meet with a counselor and financial aid next week to see if I can make it work on tap an pell but the odds are against me. My hopes of going back to college look all but dead.

Good luck. I hope you find something that'll work out.

 

[Stopsignhank]

That sucks!!

 

[Puffnstuff]

Well it looks like I don't qualify for the excelsior scholarship because I've been to college before. I meet with a counselor and financial aid next week to see if I can make it work on tap an pell but the odds are against me. My hopes of going back to college look all but dead.

Don't give up just yet. The Pell grant required two or more consecutively completed semesters so you have to be in school for at least two semesters in order to qualify for it. When you talk to the career advisor you can explore your options.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I was fortunate enough to work my way through school....meaning, I worked full time from the time I was 19 while going to school full time. By the time I was 21, I had a salaried job that included tuition reimbursement. I finished 2 degrees with $1300 of school debt. My wife finished her second degree with around $90k of debt and most of my friends are still holding onto about $20-30k. $30k accrues about $1900 of interest at 6.5% annually....that's nuts.

I think the other biggest issue is that student loans can so easily cover living expenses that I see a lot of students charging their cost of living instead of paying that out of pocket or working as they go. For those of you who have young kids, do them a favor and start a 529. I opened a few accounts this year and am trying to make it easier on them than my friends had it. I know how fortunate I was.

Remember when that was realistically possible? That you could pay for a good chunk of your tuition (not just living expense) by working entry level/menial jobs.

That's a good point, but as tuition has risen, and it being easy to get big loans, the costs of living near most colleges has ballooned quite a bit. And skeevy slumlords tend to be prevalent (so even if the costs are low, the situation often is bad such that you won't get any real stability in living environment). I also think schools push dorms since it's a way for them to pad their income as they've got to be pretty high margin for how much they cost, and since they can get people to roll that in with their tuition financing, it obfuscates it for a lot of people. And then when people get sick of doing that, they then have travel aspects (pay to get to school and to work, plus losing opportunity cost of commuting, meaning they'll lose out on time they can study and time they can work).

I will say though, that here in the Phoenix area, Tempe actually seems to have a decent amount of reasonable living options (nice places for what seems like decent cost). Although, also to be fair, that is compared to say Chandler and Scottsdale (both more affluent, and I think also both have a dearth of fairly wealthy retirees/snowbirds), so they might not really be that reasonable overall.

 

[Sonikku]

I interviewed for a spot in a CNA class at the local hospital Tuesday just in case it didn't pan out. There's a chance after spending a few years as a CNA that they could pay my way through nursing school. If I can't make it work this coming Tuesday with tap and pell when I meet with financial aid, the CNA route might end up being the only way in which I could ever go back to college.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I interviewed for a spot in a CNA class at the local hospital Tuesday just in case it didn't pan out. There's a chance after spending a few years as a CNA that they could pay my way through nursing school. If I can't make it work this coming Tuesday with tap and pell when I meet with financial aid, the CNA route might end up being the only way in which I could ever go back to college.

Just don't give up, keep your goals in site and keep chipping away at it even if it takes longer than you originally planned for it to. If you take a look right now at the transformation in this country those without a degree will not be ready to meet the coming challenges.

 

[nakedfrog]

I don't think having a degree is going to aid in the challenges of a dystopian future.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I don't think having a degree is going to aid in the challenges of a dystopian future.

They're working on it.

http://www.thebestschools.org/magazine/best-majors-surviving-zombie-apocalypse/

 

[zinfamous]

Good luck! RN is a pretty good license to grab--is it easy to pivot over to PA?

PA can get you a job anywhere, at any time, and pays really well. ....stress and work load can be unbearable, though, if you settle for a shitty clinic with a shitty structure.

 

[Sonikku]

Just got this response from Samaritan.

Dear --------------,

On behalf of Samaritan, I would like to thank you for your participation in the interview and selection process for the CNA Training Program 6/5/17 position.

Although your credentials and experience are impressive, you were not selected for the CNA Training Program 6/5/17. Feel free to review and apply for other vacant positions that you are qualified for that may be of interest to you. Thank you for your interest in our organization and good luck on your future endeavors.

Best Regards
Human Resources

I feel so devastated. Everything has begun to unravel. I had considered LPN classes at BOCES and a CNA position at a hospital in case things did not work out with the Excelsior program funding my two years of college. But now that I know it won't, and both of my fall back options have fallen through, I feel overcome with despair for the future. I meet with a counselor at JCC tomorrow to see if this debacle can be salvaged through tap and pell, but who am I kidding? It's basically over...

 

[BD231]

Just got this response from Samaritan.


I feel so devastated. Everything has begun to unravel. I had considered LPN classes at BOCES and a CNA position at a hospital in case things did not work out with the Excelsior program funding my two years of college. But now that I know it won't, and both of my fall back options have fallen through, I feel overcome with despair for the future. I meet with a counselor at JCC tomorrow to see if this debacle can be salvaged through tap and pell, but who am I kidding? It's basically over...

TRAP lyfe

 

[quikah]

Are you not open to loans? This is one of the few degrees I would be willing to take a loan out for, you can pretty much get a job anywhere if you are willing to relocate, there are a LOT of places that are severely short of nurses.