Back to school...Back to school

[SmokinMeanRibz]

I have an appointment on thursday to set up classes for the summer semester beginning on May 7th. I plan on utilizing available grants and scholarships to make up for the money I will be losing by resigning from my day job. Whatever shortfall in funding, I will have to supplement with loans. I have drastically scaled back my living in terms of money, so I do not think I will need many loans - yes I know how bad debt sucks.

I will keep my weekend job where I have recently gotten a promotion. I am going from bouncer to barback. This will help me tremendously.

I plan on taking 5 classes. I want school to be on M,T,W,TH with every Friday off. I want my classes to start at 9:00ish-3:00ish. I discovered that I only have my major coursework to complete before I go into grad school. (all electives, minor coursework, etc. completed).

PROS:
-New weekly schedule will allow me to drop off/pick up D3 from daycare, meaning I will be able to have her more overnights. (NJ will be happy about this since her plate is full with new baby) Most of all, I will be happier about this.

-I can possibly modify my parenting schedule to where I have more time - even up to 50/50. (After a record of obtaining more overnights of course)

-I am getting on track to where I want to be. Able to provide more for my daughter and capable of more custody.

-I will be a teacher so I will be able to help with D3's academics and will be able to closely keep an eye on her in school. Can also coach her teams.

-My company is laying of 25 people in January, so I'm getting a head start on my next career in case I am on the chopping block. I hate my current job - it inhibits my relationship with D3 because of the crazy hours.


CONS:
-Loans

-I will lose my current Health Insurance policy that D3 is on. MSA states that if I am no longer employed at my company, then NJ and I are to find a comparable policy that we will SPLIT THE COST of as long as it is within reason. I plan on finding a policy between now and May 7 so that there is no lapse in coverage.

-Our MSA states that I am free to pursue any endeavor of my choice without the interference of NJ. However, I feel like I still might catch some hell from her. Mostly because I am taking a step towards a better future for myself and D3 without her.



I guess I just posted this to get guidance from anyone who has ever decided to go back to school full time with a kid. Was your NJ stupid about it? Are you better off now? Its a major decision with a lot of possible repercussions - mostly positive.

[chereeda]

Keep in mind that any scholarship money used for living expenses is considered taxable income to you, so save enough back to pay that...

donna

[dobradavid]

Cons:

Do you KNOW you have a teaching gig lined up - or are you hoping one will appear?

[BartSimpson]

If you only have courses in your major to complete, how is it that you can go full time? You have to complete one course before you can take the next; prerequisites, you know.

And have you calculated lost wages - that's the money you could have earned, except you were not working and paying to go to school. This is a huge factor in older students, going back to school costs much more than tuition and living expenses - will the "education" result in such a significant income improvement that you can pay loans, live decently, and make up for the lost earnings while in school? If you are over 30, it is not likely with a Liberal Arts Degree.

[tom kirkpatrick]

Kudos to you for going back to school. In the short term, this gives you every distinct advantage except for one, the mortgaging of your future (namely, lost wages, returning to an uncertain job market, repaying student loans).

Back in the day, I chose the going-back-to-school route. Don't get me wrong. I'd do it gain if I had to. But that loan followed me like a shadow for 16 yrs.

Having said that, to the uninformed I must clarify.

Higher education is a great thing when done properly (namely, when you take time to explore disciplines beyond your major). Call it "indepent study," if you will. But for me, it was frequent visits to the University of Oregon Law School Library for "personal research."

At the time, I was dealing in the here-and-now (circa late 80's) with an impossibly vengeful ex and, for all intents and purposes, hopelessly custody issues. Keep in mind, "parental alienation" did not exist at that time.

But more importantly, unbeknownst to me, my research formed the foundation whereupon The List would one day be written (2003). Even though The List is nothing more than a loosely-written rough draft, I could never have imagined (back in '03) just how popular it would be (in 2012) or just how many fathers it would help.

Today's lesson is this. It's up to you to take every advantage of going back to school. You may not get another shot like this again. So, make the most of it.

Remember, your day will come when you will have opportunity to give back "to the greater good," hopefully, in more ways than one. You, my friend, are today's generation of fathers who will, one day, be instructing the next generation of younger fathers the all-important stratagies of navigating the gender-biased complexities of family court.

I trust we are clear on this.

Tom

[anonymous guest]

I'd never give up a full time job with health benefits in this economy. You have resonsibilities, and taking care of your kid is one of them.

Have you looked at part time school? Or some online courses, or other flexibility so you can still work?
If it were me, I'd take come part time classes and wait to see if I was getting laid off in January. Sometimes if you get laid off you qualify for job retraining funds, or at the very least unemployment compensation.

When was the last time you were in school? How were your study habits?

What do you think your ex wife will do when you tell her you quit your job? Will she go back to court to accuse you of voluntarily reducing your income? Will she question if you have the means to properly care for your kid?

[SmokinMeanRibz]

I do have a weekend job that brings home about 1500 dollars a month. If I went to school to finish my degree, I will be finished in a year or less. I do not have a job lined up yet, but there are programs called "loan forgiveness". I have looked into it. If I teach at a high demand low-income school for 5 years then my loans will be forgiven.

If I am unable to land a job directly after school, I plan on getting my masters degree or will consider law.

I havent done any lost income analysis, but I do know that I won't need as many loans as the next guy because my 2nd job will really help out

I also feel very confident that my company will not be around this time next year anyway. I have found a health insurance policy for 20 dollars less than what I am paying now that will suffice as well.

[dobradavid]

What subjects are you planning to teach?

I do have a weekend job that brings home about 1500 dollars a month. If I went to school to finish my degree, I will be finished in a year or less. I do not have a job lined up yet, but there are programs called "loan forgiveness". I have looked into it. If I teach at a high demand low-income school for 5 years then my loans will be forgiven.

If I am unable to land a job directly after school, I plan on getting my masters degree or will consider law.

I havent done any lost income analysis, but I do know that I won't need as many loans as the next guy because my 2nd job will really help out

I also feel very confident that my company will not be around this time next year anyway. I have found a health insurance policy for 20 dollars less than what I am paying now that will suffice as well.

[SmokinMeanRibz]

I would likely teach either world history or US history. I will supplement my income by coaching.