Someday_Soon Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 I'm in my 30s and already have a college degree but I'd really like to go back to school and get a degree in IT. I want to go full time so I can graduate as soon as possible. But to do this I'd need $1500 per month in living expenses alone. This is rather ominous when overlayed with the cost of tuition. I'd like to hear some input from someone who has done something similar and get advice as to whether this is advisable or should I just scrap these plans altogether. I currently have no student loan debt and no oustanding loans other than my mortgage. Thank you all.
avman Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 Maybe you should consider night school instead and just stretch out the degree a bit. Then you won't be so hammered by living expenses if you keep the job you currently have. If you can stay out of debt I highly advise it. Having no debt other than a mortgage at age 30 is quite the accomplishment.
SpiritofFire Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 I haven't done anything similar but I am sure I end up doing something similar in the future. Is it possible you can apply for financial aid, or scholarships? What field are you in, and how IT degree with benefit you? Can the company help pay for it, if they can't get value out of it? Tuition is redicilously expensive, no doubt about it, but is it possible you can start looking into courses and study on your own right now intead of waiting? There are so many ebooks out there to help you study the materials available for grabbing. Why wait. I hope I helped you in someway, perhaps I didn't answer your question directly but regardless something to think about. I am in IT field myself, question is why do you need an IT degree and what exactly are you persuing in IT? Can this be accoplished by taking certifications intead, because expirience means a lot more than degree, but it certainly helps to have one.
Triscuit71 Posted July 19, 2012 Posted July 19, 2012 I'm in my 30s and already have a college degree but I'd really like to go back to school and get a degree in IT. I want to go full time so I can graduate as soon as possible. But to do this I'd need $1500 per month in living expenses alone. This is rather ominous when overlayed with the cost of tuition. I'd like to hear some input from someone who has done something similar and get advice as to whether this is advisable or should I just scrap these plans altogether. I currently have no student loan debt and no oustanding loans other than my mortgage. Thank you all. A lot of my friends who work in IT don't have BAs, just certifications. A good friend of mine doesn't have a BA, yet he makes a salary of $75K a year in an IT job that allows him to travel internationally with other IT members to different sites, where they install firewalls etc. for large corporations. But...he's been with the same company for over ten years, where he started in phone customer support for computer problems. To break into the IT industry, I would recommend contacting IT companies in your city to see if they offer internships. The next step is to apply for entry level IT jobs with the company where you did your internship. Entry level IT jobs exist in the areas of customer support, applications software, network services, operating systems, policy and planning, security (firewalls installation and instruction), systems administration and systems analysis. Examples of entry level IT jobs are: Online sales account manager Support engineer for a website content acquisition internship customer support specialist for a website database administrator a support specialist for a product Analyst internship As far as your $1500 in living expenses is concerned; is that what your mortgage and bills adds up to already? Or is that in addition to your mortgage and bills? If you are going to return to school, I suggest a 2-year IT program at a business college. If you want to save money while you attend school you can advertise for roommates on Craigslist if you're in the U.S. and use their rent payments towards your mortgage, then use the money you set aside for your mortgage payments, to help pay tuition costs and for textbooks, etc. Since you do have a mortgage, you may want to sit down with a financial planner. A financial planner will help you brainstorm ways to save money. I returned to school at 38 years old and am worse off for it because I made very foolish choices; I switched schools and grad school programs when I was told I couldn't complete my program, after the fact that I'd lost my job and had to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Every fall and spring semester, I've been forced to over-borrow from my available student loan money, and use the refund for my rent and bills, which means that I live paycheck to paycheck. I started grad school with a job, no debt, and a good credit store. Next spring when I graduate, I'll be a 42 year old single woman with three times the student loan debt that I started with, a horrible credit score, 1 bankruptcy on file, no savings and no job because I have to pass several state exams before I can be hired in my field. British writer Catherine Aird once said, "if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." Consider my adult-education experience a horrible warning to you if you don't consult with a financial aid counselor and financial planner about how you can budget for night school, if you work full-time already or don't work full-time. If I could do it all over again, I would not have returned to school for a higher ed degree. I've ruined my own life and have no one to blame but myself. Don't make the same mistakes I did.
Dynaudio Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 I've ruined my own life and have no one to blame but myself. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Now you're just being dramatic here. Student loan debt is not that bad as long as they're federal loans. Ever since they implemented the income-based repayment plans back in 2006, the burden of having to pay more than you can is gone.
Triscuit71 Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 Now you're just being dramatic here. Student loan debt is not that bad as long as they're federal loans. Ever since they implemented the income-based repayment plans back in 2006, the burden of having to pay more than you can is gone. I'm not being dramatic. I'm being realistic considering my situation, and I have a right to feel frustrated that I ruined by credit by having to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy, which on top of, I have PRIVATE loans $40K worth, and the rest are federal. The private loans were also co-signed, so those have to be paid off regardless of whether or not I pass my state exams that I need to pass, so that I can work in the field I went to grad school for. And yes, student loan debt is bad when you're a 41 year old single woman with no financial support system, who is living almost on welfare standards while trying to finish grad school. You aren't in my shoes, so you have no idea what my life is like.
Snny Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 A lot of my friends who work in IT don't have BAs, just certifications. A good friend of mine doesn't have a BA, yet he makes a salary of $75K a year in an IT job that allows him to travel internationally with other IT members to different sites, where they install firewalls etc. for large corporations. But...he's been with the same company for over ten years, where he started in phone customer support for computer problems. I heard that too. I also have friends in the IT field and only one of them has an associates degree from a community college- nobody else went to college. He makes 90k a YEAR for the US federal government (hard as heck to get into) and he is in his mid 20's. But some of those friends did not share the same luck and made the same salary as a substitute teacher for a few years before getting a higher paying job. Hewitt-Packard laid off 27,000 employees a couple months ago. IT is going to be massively competitive because you're competing against those IT employees who have been laid off. It is NOT a stable job market and you will have to switch jobs AND upgrade your certification every few years. I did research on IT too because the field I went in (teaching) is falling apart. So beware... IT can be super competitive depending on how skilled you are in it. Triscuit71, thank you for giving more information on this topic. Do you know good certification resources to study from by any chance? I will look into internships if I can't find a job in my field this year (I just got three interviews for next week and am holding my breath). The only problem with internships is that a lot of them only accept students in school, but I will give it a shot.
Dynaudio Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 I have PRIVATE loans $40K worth, and the rest are federal. I say this for the OP's benefit so he won't fear taking out a federal load if needed. Private loans are terrible--stay away. Your life is your own business.
FYI Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 I'm just getting myself back into school to finish up my B.A. after a four year break (don't ask). But I plan on doing possibly two classes a semester until I finish. I've got tremendous living expenses and I've put off school for so long but finally I'm just going to say the hell with it and go back and get it done.
grainsofrice Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 @ Triscuit, best post I ever read on here. You are inspirational. My situation isn't that loaded with the things that you went through. But, knowing that someone who is tough enough to face such situation gives others hope. Fortunately, once I get accepted to grad school-I could get Uncle Sam's scholarship and monthly stipend as my alternative solution to alleviate financial burden. @Someday_soon, why budget for $ 1500/mth? I'm not sure that include mortgage. A typical student budget on rent is about 400-600 per month.
Someday_Soon Posted July 22, 2012 Author Posted July 22, 2012 Thanks everyone for your input. The bottom line is I am so sick of my current job, which is my main motivation. Even though its been less than a year I can see that accepting this position was terrible for my mental and physical health. I'm burned out on this profession and the people that populate it. I think what I'm going to do is concentrate on getteing some certifications, starting with A+ and work my way up from there. In the mean I'm quitting this job as soon as I can.
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