Back To School

[KaYlA_jOe]

I don't know if this counts anymore really. But I am 21 and I made some mistakes with my schooling. I started right out of high school after I got married then life got in the way. My grandfather had Alzheimer's Disease so I had to drop out and be his care taker. My second bought of the college experience I had to drop out again because of personal issues. Then I tried again for the third time and it was online and I then went through a divorce. I'm still legally married to the guy because he won't pay for the divorce and I don't have the money. He left me with bills backup, no food, and without a way to go. I was working max hours just to make it by and was constantly at the store. Now I live with my mom I'm still working a lot but I still have a lot of free time on my hands and j want to go back to school but I have burned every bridge and I can't afford to pay out of pocket for schooling and there is no way I can get a loan because of hospital bills I have terrible credit. I am stuck in a rut and need a way out. I don't want to work in fast food the rest of my life. I want to be something. Something better than this. I just needed to vent.

[Celyn]

Hey there,

I'm really glad that you posted that thread and I hope that it helped you to vent a bit. I really do understand where you are coming from, and how frustrating it can feel when you are stuck in a rut and wanting to do something, but not sure what or how to go about doing that.

Firstly, have you got something in mind that you want to do? Like a particular career? It can help knowing what you want to do, because you can then research what qualifications you need, so you wont be spending money on unnecessary schooling.

I also understand that personal issues can get in the way of school. It sounds like you've been through a lot in life. Do you have much support? It's good that you've got your mom, so perhaps you could talk to her about any difficulties you might be going through? Or are you close to any other relatives or friends? It can be really helpful to build up a support network so that when life gets difficult, there's always someone you can turn to. Don't forget that most (if not all) colleges have a counsellor too, who you can always talk to about any issues you might be facing.

I don't know an awful lot about the education system where you are, but is it possible to get student loans or something based on income, rather than credit score? I'm sure that you could always contact a college and ask about what financial help they offer (some might offer 'contingency funds'). It might also be worth while adding up all your bills and any debt you may have, and work out how you would try to pay that off, perhaps set aside some money each month.

I know that it can be hard when you have more free time on your hands. It's good that you tried online learning. Did you have to pay or was it free? There are a lot of free online courses you could sign up to. They can be short, but are offered in a variety of different subjects, and though they aren't accredited (free ones you often wont get a certificate, paid ones you will) they can help to pass the time, learn something new, learn something you might be interested in, and they can add to your applications or CV as it shows you are interested in continuing learning. Popular free course platforms are Coursera, EdX, Canvas and FutureLearn, which you can check out.

Lastly, I'm sorry to hear that your grandfather had Alzheimer's and you had to become his care taker. My dad had Alzheimer's and though my mum was his main carer, I know exactly how hard it was to go through that. I'm here if you ever want to talk about it.

I'm glad that you want to change things, and I am sure that with determination, you'll get there.

Take care