Finding the Right Source of Income
How much money do you need every month? Are you living in an apartment or house that you can downgrade from? Do you have kids, medical debt, pets? Do you have family or friends that would rent a room to you? These are all very pertinent questions. Before you can start school as an adult, it is important to find a way to sustain your lifestyle (or downgrade your lifestyle) to a point where you do not have to worry about finances on top of your grades. The big question is how will you afford the time, schooling, and your living expenses. What choices of income are right for you?
One option is looking into government aid. Filling out your FASFA is important, just try it and see if you qualify. If you make under a certain amount of money, the government will fund your schooling (to an extent, they probably aren’t going to put you through Harvard). However, you are considered a dependent until age 24, so if your parents make more money than is allowed, whether your parents support you or not, you do not qualify for grants. FASFA will still offer out student loans that will build up until you graduate or stop going to school. The only way to know for sure what you qualify for is to fill out your application here .
I personally hate debt. That’s why the FASFA is currently a no for me. My father makes just enough money to where I did not qualify for anything other than a loan. I have to support myself, as well as my personal medical condition, and my best friend Bruce (aka my skittish Siberian husky). So, I chose to work. Try as I may to find a job that would allow me to financially live by myself and allow time to go to school, I had issues finding that until just a little over a year ago. Prior to this I was promised schedule adjustments walking into jobs, and a few months in I was asked if I had it in writing or was told to wait a while longer. Knowing your employer is important when you have responsibilities and goals.
I can personally vouch for Amazon. They have a wonderful program for full-time employees called Career Choice. It is an Amazon program, not a program your supervisor or manager can say no to. (I am lucky and have Managers that support me going either way, so it doesn’t really affect me.) After you complete your first 90 days, you will qualify to get amazing insurance benefits, decent pay, and the opportunity to sign up for Career Choice. This program has advisors to talk to, offers $5,250 per year for school (you have to pass the classes for them to pay), as well as the opportunity to get 10 hours off a week to attend school or study for tests (you have to have paperwork to qualify). This is a current program that I am enrolled in, I cannot legally say that this program will always exist or will maintain its current value. I am currently finishing my first year and will say they have helped me more than I ever expected.
Another option I am looking at, since I did get accepted into the RN program, is being a CNA. A lot of nursing homes will pay for you to get your certification. There are 8-week classes available. I am currently taking one at Ivy Tech. (This certification also adds 5 points to your application to the RN program. Ivy Tech uses a points system to determine who will get into their program.) A CNA position would be good for someone like me who has no medical field experience. It is also a good choice due to most places offering Part-time schedules as well as further funding for education.
