[kingkawi]

I'm going to be starting school in january. Till then I've been trying to pay off all my bills so that I am basically debt free by then. Right now I'm an hvacr tech and make 75 grand a year. I don't know what I'll be making when its time for school, hopefully I could find a decent part time job...

[neil_ski]

Originally Posted by televisionary

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I wasn't in the Armed Forces, so I'm guessing that student loans are the only way for me to go. I make over 50k a year, and have found out that grants are unavailable for me.

I still owe 3 years on my Jeep. So I'll need $ to keep paying on this. How are you guys without GI Bill help paying for school?

I finally made the plunge and it was the best decision I ever made. I was absolutely burned out. I hated my job but was afraid to leave because I was finally making OK money. ($20 an hour)

I'm lucky in that my wife works and is very supportive. I'm using financial aid loans to pay for tuition and help out with the bills. I am also trying to apply for scholarships. I won one just recently.

I've found that I'm spending a lot less money daily than I did when I was at the lame job. It's almost as if I'm happier and spending less or I've adjusted to the new way of things and it's not nearly as scary as I thought it'd be.

For work, I'm a big fan of tip jobs. I've been working as an on-call banquet bartender. It makes for a nice flexible schedule. The hourly pay is good and the tips are usually good. And no, you don't need to go to bartending school. It's the big inside joke. You can start as a server and ask to train to be a bartender. You usually just have to make the easy drinks anyway.

We also got a BIG tax refund last year because of my school expenses. That helps.

Full time is the way to do it. I was going part time for a while and it took forever to get the relatively few classes I needed to complete my 2 year associates degree. Now I'm cruising along and will have a Bachelors by next spring.

Good luck!