"I worked full time and went to school full time" (SAT, homeschool)
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Does anyone else want to call bull when someone says that? I hear this comment so much and never buy it. Simple mathematics shows that it would be virtually impossible not only to get 40 hours a week in while taking a minimum of 12 credits, but also when would you study? For those of you who say you did it, how did you your schedule look?
Does anyone else want to call bull when someone says that? I hear this comment so much and never buy it. Simple mathematics shows that it would be virtually impossible not only to get 40 hours a week in while taking a minimum of 12 credits, but also when would you study? For those of you who say you did it, how did you your schedule look?
I did.
Literally two weeks before I was starting my freshman year, my parents sat me down and told me that they couldn't afford to send me. My father was an architect, my mother was a real estate, and it was 1980 when interest rates hit 18.5%.
So I went out and got a full-time job at the local newspaper. It was the morning paper, so I worked 3 pm to midnight, five days a week. I started out as a copyboy and wound up writing features.
On M-W-F, I literally went to class from 8 am to 2 pm, ate lunch, then worked from three to midnight. On T-Th, I typically had two classes that allowed me to study before going to work at three. For extra fun, I lived at home during my college career.
Then Saturday? Up and at it. Study, read, paper writing, you name it. A good portion of Sunday, too. During summers, I worked a second job to give me some cushion.
The economy improved before my junior year, so my parents could help out some. So I cut back to 24 hours a week. Good thing, too, because I was in the heart of my major by that point.
I graduated on time, made Dean's list four of my eight semesters, and walked off the stage without a dime of student loans to my name.
But it was a miserable, grueling four years. I was constantly sick, constantly tired, and had almost no social life. I can count the number of dates I had in college on two hands. I don't recommend the experience to anyone.
I guess I don't qualify because I only worked thirty hours a week when I was in college full time.
It was hectic and I had to really limit my "party time." I went to classes till noon or 1 pm and then worked evenings. Of course I didn't work every evening, and I was always back home by 9:30 (I worked in retail) so I did have time to study but I had to burn the midnight oil. This left little social time but I wasn't going to college to party.
Literally two weeks before I was starting my freshman year, my parents sat me down and told me that they couldn't afford to send me. My father was an architect, my mother was a real estate, and it was 1980 when interest rates hit 18.5%.
So I went out and got a full-time job at the local newspaper. It was the morning paper, so I worked 3 pm to midnight, five days a week. I started out as a copyboy and wound up writing features.
On M-W-F, I literally went to class from 8 am to 2 pm, ate lunch, then worked from three to midnight. On T-Th, I typically had two longer classes that allowed me to study before going to work at three.
Then Saturday? Up and at it. Study, read, paper writing, you name it. A good portion of Sunday, too. During summers, I worked a second job to give me some cushion.
The economy improved before my junior year, so my parents could help out some. So I cut back to 24 hours a week. Good thing, too, because I was in the heart of my major by that point.
I graduated on time, made Dean's list four of my eight semesters, and walked off the stage without a dime of student loans to my name.
But it was a miserable, grueling four years. I was constantly sick, constantly tired, and had almost no social life. I can count the number of dates I had in college on two hands. I don't recommend the experience to anyone.
Sounds awful. If you did this now you'd still have student loan debt.
I did it and never complained about it. I had a full time job at a restaurant that was mostly weekends. Two 16 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday. I also worked two nights a week to get around 45 hours full time. I also had 15 credit hours of college. I studied at nights after school and sometimes at work when it was slow. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't need 8 hours of sleep. I survived on much less.
FYI, my parents told us when we turned 18 we needed to support ourselves. I had a job in HS and by the time I graduated HS I had a car paid off and over 5k in the bank. I got an apartment with two other guys and paid my bills and tuition with no help or student loans.
I guess I don't qualify because I only worked thirty hours a week when I was in college full time.
It was hectic and I had to really limit my "party time." I went to classes till noon or 1 pm and then worked evenings. Of course I didn't work every evening, and I was always back home by 9:30 (I worked in retail) so I did have time to study but I had to burn the midnight oil. This left little social time but I wasn't going to college to party.
This was me as well. And still had to take out student loans.
I did it. I worked full-time as a nanny, shopper and cook for a family with school-age children to pay my way through college. I would schedule all classes before noon to arrive at the children's home by 1pm or so and stay until after the kids were in bed at night. I did not live-in but it helped tremendously to be able to eat meals, do laundry, study etc on the job.
This was in the mid to late 80s and I was paid $100 a week! Yet I was still able to pay full tuition at the University of Texas at Austin. My family was quite well off but perversely refused to help pay for our college, with a mentality that after high school graduation we were 100% on our own. While it was possible to do then, I recognize it would be impossible now for my own children and will gladly help them through college and beyond.
ETA: Reading comments about student loans above, I applied but didn't qualify. We were REALLY well off. As in, my family would send the plane to fetch me for holidays.
Sounds awful. If you did this now you'd still have student loan debt.
No doubt. This was the early eighties. I attended a private college, too. Today, that same college has jacked tuition through the roof. Tuition alone would be the equivalent of buying a new BMW a year. Maybe a base model, but a BMW nonetheless.
But if you're going to public university that's relatively affordable, it's completely possible. It's more a matter of time management, discipline and the willingness to put up with a great deal of stress. I must admit that the ordeal taught me a great deal about myself and gave me the ability to sit down and crank out a lot of work. So my first job out of college, and everyone after that, I simply outworked everyone else. Even now, after 27 years of self-employment, I sit down at 7:30 in the morning, crank out my work, and don't stop until I'm done.
This was me as well. And still had to take out student loans.
I didn't take out student loans because I went to a community college and paid as I went. Also, my parents did pay half of the tuition. Actually they paid the tuition and I paid for books and supplies and other fees so it came to about half and half. And I lived at home most of the time as well. And ate lots of canned soup and brought my lunches to work. I also didn't expect to and wasn't able to go out to eat or drink often with friends. And I drove a beat up car too - LOL.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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College 15 -19 cr hrs 7am - 12pm (homework between classes and during commute (car pool) and at night shift lunch break.
Work 4pm -2am m- th
PT work 2pm - 2am friday and Sat. (Truck driving 800 mile route each day... mtns / snow)9
PT work sundays 7am - noon.
Cook for the week, mow grass, fix cars, and do laundry 1pm-5pm on Sundays
Homework / financial / caregiving planning Sunday nights. (I became caregiver / responsible for disabled parent the day I turned 18)
All of this was very busy, but FAR easier than my pre age 16 life (Dairy Farm Boarding School)
Work, tho very demanding, was simple for 40 yr career. (Compared to caregiving)
School / college (5 degrees while working FT, all reimbursed by my benevolent company. One semester during finals and carrying 19 engineering credits, I cut my main job to 6 hrs/day, but kept my 2 PT jobs.
I needed the income to pay off family debt from my ill parent.
Really ,... working FT and getting 3 engineering degrees + 2 finance degrees was a very simple task. All work, no play. That was fine with me cuz when I play (today) I play hard,!
Busy is just how you organize your 24 hrs / day.
I also home schooled, farmed, and designed and built several houses during the years I was NOT in college.(While a caregiver of course... 32 yrs worth)
FT college + FT work ... simple. I will admit.... I did not graduate magna the first 3 degrees... cuz I was still ‘learning’ how to do both.
My kids graduated magna while working FT, so they had learned something from Homeschool and example of parents. We all graduated magna the same yr from different colleges. (I on my 5th degree). It was a really simple grad program.
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