Dave says No loans for college, I don't see any other way.

[madhen]

I worked full-time while finishing my degree taking classes in the evening. I did all my undergrad work at a community college, which is much cheaper than the universities, and at the end, you still have your diploma from the 4-year university, so there is no real advantage to jumping right into the expensive tuition.

I'd recommend keeping the search for a full time job, and when you get it, using whatever you can save from that to start taking classes at a community college. Talk to a counselor there to make sure you are taking classes that will count toward your undergrad work, and don't overload yourself. I once took on four classes in addition to my job, and it just about killed me. I'd recommend no more than two classes per semester.

Once you get all your undergrad work in (which is pretty much identical, regardless of your chosen major), you can look at getting into a four-year university. If your grades are good enough, you might even be able to get a scholarship!

[tlenad]

Speaking as someone who took the student loan route, I really wish I hadn't. It's a stress on my budget and being the only income it's not fun.

I did work full-time and went to school part time, it took 10 years to finish my bachelor's degree only one of the loans listed in my signature is from my undergrad. I had an employer at the time that paid for most of the schooling.

The rest are for my Master's degree, although that has already paid off and I should be able to pay off all the debt in 5 to 6 years. Yes, five to six years when I'm throwing everything I can at the debt. Mind you I don't have any children so I have quite a bit of disposable income and I went into Accounting. I make a pretty good income but still money is going to be tight.

I would research your area of study heavily and take a couple of classes at a community college to make sure you know what your getting into. You should be able to pay cash for community college and at the same time save up money to get a head start on your degree. I wound up with an associates degree from a local community college and all my class transferred over for my undergrad which saved me quite a bit of money.