Quit Your Job To Go Back To School?

[latierra84]

Anyone here quit their job to go back to school full time?

What kind of bumps did you experience along the way?
Where you single, married, kids?

[frugalfriend]

Yes, I did. I was newly married (about a year or so?), no kids. Had been going to school part time, studying for my BA while working full time and it was taking forever! Finally, quit my job, went to school FULL time and finished my degree. Bumps along the way? Not really, Dh made enough to support us. We did not have a high overhead though. We lived in a little apartment close by the university. I did not take out student loans. I really took my studies seriously and joined in on study groups with other students and enjoyed being 'just a student' while I finished up. Took a full course load and went to summer school to get done. I wasn't tired from working all day, and just focused on getting good grades and enjoying the rest of my time there.

[FreesiaE]

I'm actually going the work FT, school PT route. It is hectic but it is good for my husband and myself to have my income coming in while so much is going out to school.

[mmy2grls]

I'm trying to go back to school online

Single, 2 kids, and working at home

I did it before and managed but i'm wondering how i'll mange now

[cottageliving]

I would be afraid to quit a full time job to go to school with the economy as it is....

but have gone to school full time when I became unemployed.

That said, if you find after a semester or two that you need to work again then you just get a job at that point and switch to part-time school. No decision is completely permanent: you always have flexibility.

Have you already taken some courses and have credits, or do you need to do the full 2 or 4 years from the beginning?

I am currently on a 12 week full time contract job and just registered for 2 distance learning courses.

If I keep working fulltime, I'll keep going to school part-time. If I can't find work after this contract, I'll go to school full-time.

The bottom line is that you have to do what works for YOU. Your decisions may not always be what is most popular by the general population, but if you do what is best for you, then you'll be fine.

All the best to you!!! Keep us posted.

[latierra84]

I would be afraid to quit a full time job to go to school with the economy as it is....

but have gone to school full time when I became unemployed.

That said, if you find after a semester or two that you need to work again then you just get a job at that point and switch to part-time school. No decision is completely permanent: you always have flexibility.

Have you already taken some courses and have credits, or do you need to do the full 2 or 4 years from the beginning?

I am currently on a 12 week full time contract job and just registered for 2 distance learning courses.

If I keep working fulltime, I'll keep going to school part-time. If I can't find work after this contract, I'll go to school full-time.

The bottom line is that you have to do what works for YOU. Your decisions may not always be what is most popular by the general population, but if you do what is best for you, then you'll be fine.

All the best to you!!! Keep us posted.

im only about a year away from finishing my BA so its not too far. the whole idea of not bringing in any money worries me though. DH says that we would be ok and i know that we would be. ive started to really save every penny and not spend anything that doesnt need to be spent to ease my mind some but, i still worry about it. - and with the way jobs are going, i am afraid of not being able to find something even with a degree. so theres that too. i make (what i think) is pretty good money considering i dont have a degree yet and so i hesitate to leave my job. i go back and forth with the idea of finishing school now or waiting to do it later. everyone (in RL) tells me to just get it done and over with while im still "young". but i also feel like i have a very good job right now that isnt guaranteed to be there if i leave.

[Cricket1]

Hmmm...tough one. By the way--nice to see you!

Personally, if it was me, I would keep working and keep plugging away at school. You seem hesitant to leave work--go with your gut. Unfortunately (as somebody else mentioned), the economy isn't great and there's no guarantee that you'll get a job easily with a degree.

Is your current job in the field that you're going to school for? Could it lead to a different position after you graduate? If so, I would cut those ties.

[Cricket1]

Duh--it should be "I would NOT cut those ties." Slow down, fingers!

[forHISglory]

The dean at the university where I teach part time says that the best time to go to school is when you are poor. The number of grants out there are astonishing, and will help to meet needs while you finish your degree.

Every person's situation is different, and I would not advocate just up and quitting your job. But look into what is available for financial aid. It might be way more than you thought.

[ab27]

I haven't worked since the beginning of last semester. This fall semester, I have organic chem, calculus 2, physics, and one other class that I haven't decided on yet. I get grants just for being a chem major, not a whole lot, but it helps. My GI bill got cut off last semester, but I have enough saved that I can live off the refunds on my school loans and whatever I get from FAFSA. I am also horrendously cheap, spend maybe a hundred dollars a month besides rent, on food, ect.

[eofelis]

(Sorry this is so long, I had a lot to say!)

I'm 40 and I'm a full time student. I'll get my BS in Geology in May 2009.

Back when I was 33 I went through a surprise divorce (not my decision). I was cut loose and quickly decided to get on with my life. I got involved in some outdoor oriented advocacy groups and ended up volunteering doing field work in the Wyoming mountains (I was living in WY at the time). I met people that had gone to school for this work. One guy made a remark about how he found way to get other people to fund his education for him. A lightbulb went off in my head. If he could do it, so could I.

I had never really thought about going to college, even though my ex-h was in college when I met him. I didn't do anything special in high school, average grades. The only college I'd heard of was Harvard (I grew up in MA) and thought college was so expensive that I'd never be able to afford it, and I didn't want to take out loans.

So I decided that I wanted to go to school to be a field scientist. There was a small 2 year college in the city I lived in so I just stopped in one day and said I wanted to go to college, where do I start?

There were lots of great folks to help me through the process. I made a point of learning the financial aid process. The year before when I was married I had only worked part time and only had a small income to show for it. When I applied for the FASFA I got the maximum Pell Grant, $1400/semester for that year. I went in and talked to the director of the Financial Aid office and told him my story and asked what I could do to obtain funds for college. Right there he got me a $750 scholarship. Tuition was $750/sem at that college, so I got a disbursement of the money that was left over after tuition. That was the start of the tidal wave of $ I have gotten for college! (No loans!)

It helps that I have gone to schools with low tuition (<$2000/semester). My income has been low every year and that helps with the grants.

I transferred to a 4 year state college in Colorado. When I put in my first fin-aid application I was an out of state student and tuition is about 3x as much as a resident (I was intending to become a resident). They just gave me an interstate discount on tuition. I asked them to look at my app again to see if they could help me more. They came back with $11,000 worth of grants and scholarships (that amount just covered 2 semesters, but dang!). I had a 4.0gpa at the time, so that helped. One scholarship required 15 credit hrs per semester, but I told them I also worked, could they reduce it to 12? Nothing is cut in stone if you ask nicely of the right people! The fin-aid director at my college knows who I am and always says hello to me.

Since then I get the maximum every year in Pell Grants (FASFA), about $2000 per semester. Then I get state grants, $750-1500. I have also gotten a lot of scholarships just through my college. I also get work study through my FASFA application (there is a box to check). I have helped profs in labs (I go on field trips and make sure we don't lose any students, answer questions, grade papers, etc) and done research assisting. I get paid $8-9/hr for this work. I work 10-20 hrs a week.

My advisor is also on the dept. scholarship committee. He has gotten me great scholarships. I have gotten a $2000 scholarship 3 years in a row. I think my prof want to give it to another student for next year, it's ok with me. He'll find me something else. I have applied for scholarships that no one else bothered to apply for and got them. One day I got a letter from the fin-aid dept that someone decided to give me a $2000 grant, out of the blue. Abundance from the universe!

I keep a folder on my computer for all my scholarship apps and letters so every year I can just tweak them a bit to reapply.

A few semesters ago I got a $4700 check after my tuition was paid.

This is all free money, not taxed (according the the CPA I asked). I do get taxed on the work-study money.

I live with my bf who has paid the rent mostly lately. We live pretty cheap so even though our income has been low we have done ok.

I just got hired as a paid GIS intern at the local BLM and I was also offered another summer job as a field assistant mapping geology (I'll get paid to hike). My profs helped set up these jobs. I'm going to try to do both jobs!

[scottp999]

I was on my own to pay bills (never had got a single dollar from family in my life) and got a job starting at the bottom at a large financial services company. I stuck with it and used their tuition reimbursement program. At the same time I worked hard to climb that latter, I went to college 1/2 time for 12 years to get a masters of business admin. I started at the local community college, transferred to the state 4 year school, and ended up at a private catholic university for graduate school. It took forever but I met alot of good people along the way and it definitley kept idle hands from getting into any trouble.

If you have a supportive spouse and they volunteer to keep a decent standard of living while you go fulltime, go for it. Otherwise, find a place to work that has a tuition program and go nights.

[cmitch1961]

Yes I am just about to finish after 3 years going full time as a single mom. It will be hard but there is money available. Go to the college and talk to the financial aid dept., check for Pell grants, state grants. I even did something called Student Support Services, were I attended seminars, wrote some papers, and I recieved checks from $350 -$600 per semester. Check also for a gov. program that pays for retraining workers. Check to see if you want to go into something that a business will pay your tutiton for signing a contract for you to work for them when you graduate.

It's not going to be easy, but I will graduate in May with an assoicate degree in Occupational therapy assisitant and it pays between $20-25 per hour in a very rural area.

[PennyMedic]

I am happy with my choice to go back to school. I make pretty good money now but I know when I am finished with school I will make twice what I make now and more.

I'm currently in nursing school full time and working only part time. I get very little sleep and I am tired all the time but I know it is worth it. I only have seven months of school left till I graduate.

I work in the emergency department of a local hospital as an EMT. I take full advantage of call in and call back pay. I also work night, weekend, and holiday shifts because I make more money. I also work in a critical care area so I get paid more money.

I saved up as much money as I could before school started, about 6000 dollars, to help with bills, gas, food, and such. I applied for the pell grant. I get around 560.00 a quarter which covers my books with a little left over. I also get a scholarship from my hospital for 1500.00 a year.

I get the hope grant/scholarship which is offered in Georgia if you keep your grades up. It has pretty much paid for all of my school. I would look into every grant and scholarship in your area. I once received a one time scholarship of 500.00 dollars from a local non-profit organization. I had volunteered only about 20 hours with them the summer before. I did not even know they offered any type of scholarship. It was just karma I guess. I was so surprised and grateful. Every penny counts.

On the downside I have put 2500.00 on my credit card this year but that will be paid off when I get my tax refund. I also do not have health ins.

I have a 3000.00 dollar emergency fund. I have a minimum amount of bills. My car is paid for. I use the internet at school for all my high speed needs and just have cheap 9.99 dial up at home. I have quality but low cost car and renters ins. because I have a good driving record. I don't receive any type of assistance like food stamps though I am pretty sure I might qualify.

Most importantly I have a son (btw the ex pays no child support )and I know what I am doing now will be the best for us, not only financially but hopefully one day my little boy will appreciate that I wanted to make a better life for us and be proud of his mommy like I am proud of him!

I wish you the best of luck with your decision!

[SheKat]

I was on maternity leave when I decided not to go back to work but study full time. DH was on an average wage, we lived in a small house were the rent was cheap, we also had a car to repay and full time childcare. We had just the one child who has high medical needs and was hospitalised 9 times during my four year course. We saved and saved money so that I could pay upfront fees for the summer schooling. I took on an extra subject for 4 semesters adn in the end i was able to graduate a full year early than others on my course.

Would i ever change anything - not on your life. It was the best decision we ever made. As someone else mentioned aswell I did not take on a part time job (in fact DH forbade me - siad it was more important to focus on uni and our son), I joined study groups, formed study groups and worked / studied hard and ended up with a really good GPA.

Good luck with your decision.