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Work Force Development Grant, should I do it?
#1
As some of you may know, I was recently laid off from my job of seven years as a Laboratory Technician. This was devastating to me, but it propelled me to finish my B.S. in Liberal Studies from EC by the time the place closed. Now, I have a new challenge. I am eligible for a workforce development grant through my state which pays for $6000 worth of tuition for up to two years. I have taken all the tests and I qualify for the program. The problem is, the school has to be in Indiana and I have to attend full-time, and the degree must be directly related to a field on the list of Indiana's Hoosier Hot Fifty Jobs. DWD: Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs Data It's all right if the program is distance-learning, but the institution must be in Indiana. I live in southern Indiana, so most of the northern schools are too far away to drive anyway.

This makes it difficult, because the only school which has cheap enough tuition is Ivy Tech, which is a two-year community college.

Graduate Tuition:
Indiana State University: $328/hr
University of Indianapolis: $300/hr
University of Evansville: $690/hr
Indiana University: $226.55/hr (2006 rate, 2009 not posted yet, TBD)
Purdue: $8240/year
University of Southern Indiana: $242.80/hr
Oakland City University: $500/hr
IU Southeast: $300/hr
Martin University: $520/hr
Marion University: $12,000/semester
Butler University: $410/hr
Indiana Wesleyan: $445/hr
Ball State University: $3500/semester

The only school with tuition cheap enough to finish an entire degree for $6000 or less is Ivy Tech, with tuition at just $99.65/hr. They do allow you to go back and get an Associate degree even if you have a B.A. already, so I can go there as a degree-seeking student if I want to. I'd really rather work on a Master degree though!

I think that most people who take advantage of this program have no degree at all. The lady at the workforce development center acted confused when I told her I already had a degree, and she kept referring to Ivy Tech as though it was the only school she had dealt with. She said I have to apply and be accepted to a program first, and then I take them the tuition bill and they pay it. She said they also pay for books and school supplies. It seems like a good deal, but if the degree program costs $10,000, I would be stuck with the left over $4000 to get a degree...

I need help deciding on a degree program, a school, or if I should even do this at all.

Has anyone else ever qualified for a workforce development grant? Any advice would be appreciated!
[SIZE="6"]~~ Alissa~~[/SIZE]
[size="4"]"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." - - Henry Ford[/size]
[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="2"]DONE:
BS Liberal Studies, Excelsior College May 2009
[/SIZE][/COLOR]
Current website favorite:
http://www.careeronestop.org/
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#2
alissaroot Wrote:As some of you may know, I was recently laid off from my job of seven years as a Laboratory Technician. This was devastating to me, but it propelled me to finish my B.S. in Liberal Studies from EC by the time the place closed. Now, I have a new challenge. I am eligible for a workforce development grant through my state which pays for $6000 worth of tuition for up to two years. I have taken all the tests and I qualify for the program. The problem is, the school has to be in Indiana and I have to attend full-time, and the degree must be directly related to a field on the list of Indiana's Hoosier Hot Fifty Jobs. DWD: Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs Data It's all right if the program is distance-learning, but the institution must be in Indiana. I live in southern Indiana, so most of the northern schools are too far away to drive anyway.

This makes it difficult, because the only school which has cheap enough tuition is Ivy Tech, which is a two-year community college.

Graduate Tuition:
Indiana State University: $328/hr
University of Indianapolis: $300/hr
University of Evansville: $690/hr
Indiana University: $226.55/hr (2006 rate, 2009 not posted yet, TBD)
Purdue: $8240/year
University of Southern Indiana: $242.80/hr
Oakland City University: $500/hr
IU Southeast: $300/hr
Martin University: $520/hr
Marion University: $12,000/semester
Butler University: $410/hr
Indiana Wesleyan: $445/hr
Ball State University: $3500/semester

The only school with tuition cheap enough to finish an entire degree for $6000 or less is Ivy Tech, with tuition at just $99.65/hr. They do allow you to go back and get an Associate degree even if you have a B.A. already, so I can go there as a degree-seeking student if I want to. I'd really rather work on a Master degree though!

I think that most people who take advantage of this program have no degree at all. The lady at the workforce development center acted confused when I told her I already had a degree, and she kept referring to Ivy Tech as though it was the only school she had dealt with. She said I have to appy and be accepted to a program first, and then I take them the tuition bill and they pay it. She said they also pay for books and school supplies. It seems like a good deal, but if the degree program costs $10,000, I would be stuck with the left over $4000 to get a degree...

I need help deciding on a degree program, a school, or if I should even do this at all.

Has anyone else ever qualified for a workforce development grant? Any advice would be appreciated!

I think you already know what to do.
"I'd really rather work on a Master degree.....I would be stuck with the left over $4000 to get a (n) (Associate) degree..."
Some associate degree jobs are specific and will offer a good return, nursing for example. Keep in mind that kind of question is more about changing careers, not if you should take a grant. Most of the jobs on that list that require associate degrees are in health care, and will require clinical hours.
My two cents, would be to leave that money in the pot for someone like you who is now unemployed but doesn't have the resources to access groups like ours, or pay $99/credit. You have bigger fish to fry.

*another thing, how many credits can you buy at WNMU for $4000? Smile
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#3
I have to say that, in my humble opinion, Jennifer is right on. While it may be difficult to leave money on the table, will spending considerable time pursuing an Associates or even another BA meet your true goals? I respectfully suggest that you'd be better served moving on to the goal of a Masters....and beyond.
[SIZE="4"]Terry[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"][SIZE="3"][B][SIZE="2"]How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time![/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/B]

[SIZE="3"]
AS and BS completed
MBA - In Progress[/SIZE]
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#4
Jennifer said it all! Move forward toward your dreams.

Judy
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#5
Would you be allowed to pursue a graduate certificate with the funds? That's much cheaper than the full master's and works well as entry into a new field.
[COLOR="DarkGreen"][SIZE="2"]
BSLS Excelsior College, conferred 9-09
started MS in Instructional Design program, Spring 2010

April 4 2009 through July 6 2009: 1 GRE subject exam + 1 Penn Foster credit + 11 DANTES exams = 61 credits. Average per-credit cost = $23.44.

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." (Maria Robinson)[/SIZE][/COLOR]
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#6
[QUOTE=alissaroot] I am eligible for a workforce development grant through my state which pays for $6000 worth of tuition for up to two years. I'd really rather work on a Master degree though! It seems like a good deal, but if the degree program costs $10,000, I would be stuck with the left over $4000 to get a degree...
I need help deciding on a degree program, a school, or if I should even do this at all.


REPLY
First, think of Workforce as an Employee......will they fund the Masters...if they will....you will get $6000 per year. You just need to come up with the rest......Take it and go for the Masters......you can change plan/course if a better option becomes available
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#7
Wow, thanks for all the fast replies! I have marked Ivy Tech off the list. You guys are absolutely right. No sense in taking a step backwards, especially for a technical career I'm not even really interested in. Even if it would be a free degree.

I have been looking hard at IU's M.A. in Language Education. It was on my original list of possibilities but I marked it off because it was too expensive. This grant will make it affordable, even if it won't pay for the whole thing. I think I'm going to apply for that program for Spring semester. If I'm accepted, I will use the workforce development grant towards that, and if not, I'll scrap the whole grant thing and go with one of my final four choices. An Indiana University Master's degree for $4000 is a real deal, I can't pass it up.

Since teachers at every level are on the Hot Fifty list, I think this degree program would be acceptable to the lady at the WorkOne center. If it isn't there is an alternative route to teaching program in Indiana, most schools offer it as a 15-18-month program, and the grant would pay for that. I would have decided on this already but it certifies you to teach in the field you majored in originally. Since I majored in Liberal Studies, I couldn't get certified to teach higher than Elementary Education. Decisions, decisions!

perrik Wrote:Would you be allowed to pursue a graduate certificate with the funds? That's much cheaper than the full master's and works well as entry into a new field.

That's an excellent suggestion. I have looked for grad certs but nothing popped out yet that would apply to a job on the Hot Fifty list. If you (or anyone else out there) knows of a grad cert program under $6000 in Indiana, let me know! Many grad cert programs also allow the option of going for the full Master's degree later on, too. I'm liking the sound of this.
[SIZE="6"]~~ Alissa~~[/SIZE]
[size="4"]"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." - - Henry Ford[/size]
[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="2"]DONE:
BS Liberal Studies, Excelsior College May 2009
[/SIZE][/COLOR]
Current website favorite:
http://www.careeronestop.org/
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#8
alissaroot Wrote:I have been looking hard at IU's M.A. in Language Education. It was on my original list of possibilities but I marked it off because it was too expensive. This grant will make it affordable, even if it won't pay for the whole thing. I think I'm going to apply for that program for Spring semester. If I'm accepted, I will use the workforce development grant towards that, and if not, I'll scrap the whole grant thing and go with one of my final four choices. An Indiana University Master's degree for $4000 is a real deal, I can't pass it up.

This is a great idea. Go with the program you really want to enter into- onward and upwards! Congrats on the grant!!!
[SIZE="2"][COLOR="DarkBlue"]B.S., Biology, Excelsior College
[/COLOR]
[/SIZE]
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#9
alissaroot Wrote:Wow, thanks for all the fast replies! I have marked Ivy Tech off the list. You guys are absolutely right. No sense in taking a step backwards, especially for a technical career I'm not even really interested in. Even if it would be a free degree.

I have been looking hard at IU's M.A. in Language Education. It was on my original list of possibilities but I marked it off because it was too expensive. This grant will make it affordable, even if it won't pay for the whole thing. I think I'm going to apply for that program for Spring semester. If I'm accepted, I will use the workforce development grant towards that, and if not, I'll scrap the whole grant thing and go with one of my final four choices. An Indiana University Master's degree for $4000 is a real deal, I can't pass it up.

Since teachers at every level are on the Hot Fifty list, I think this degree program would be acceptable to the lady at the WorkOne center. If it isn't there is an alternative route to teaching program in Indiana, most schools offer it as a 15-18-month program, and the grant would pay for that. I would have decided on this already but it certifies you to teach in the field you majored in originally. Since I majored in Liberal Studies, I couldn't get certified to teach higher than Elementary Education. Decisions, decisions!



That's an excellent suggestion. I have looked for grad certs but nothing popped out yet that would apply to a job on the Hot Fifty list. If you (or anyone else out there) knows of a grad cert program under $6000 in Indiana, let me know! Many grad cert programs also allow the option of going for the full Master's degree later on, too. I'm liking the sound of this.


Best of luck with this, Alissa!

Something else to consider, too. You may only get $6000 out of the grant, but by the time you've used up that grant, you'll doubtlessly have other options available for tuition assistance. Scholarships for educators, employer tuition assistance from your next job, other financial aid... you'll have other resources available to help with the remainder of the tuition costs. If this is something you want, then go for it! Smile
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#10
Thanks, MaieJaie. I hope I will qualify for some financial aid next year. The company that laid me off paid very well, so even though I only worked six months of this year, my gross income this year will still be high, probably too high to qualify for a grant. I have filled out a FAFSA for the last two years, and I was only offered a loan both times. I do expect my 2010 gross income to drop, so I probably won't qualify for significant financial aid until 2011. But I may be willing to take on a student loan for the rest of the cost rather than insisting on paying for it out of my own pocket if the amount is going to be as small as $4000 or $5000. I hate to take on any debt at all, but that is a manageable amount to pay off in a reasonable time frame. I did get an email about a job I applied for working in a juvenile center for troubled/disadvantaged young men, which I'm very excited about. Way different than testing metal powder samples all day...it probably doesn't pay well, but I'd enjoy it more than my old job and maybe they'd have tuition reimbursement.

This grant is such a pain in the arse. I have a pile of forms to fill out. In order to get the grant, I have to fill out a form that shows how each degree program would qualify me for the intended career, and I have to research how many people get hired for a career with said degree, what sorts of skills a career needs, what the outlook is for a certain career, etc. It would be easier if schools actually kept good records of job placement for their graduates. Although I find it very frustrating, I do see how this would be very useful as far as what you can expect to do with your degree. So besides the expected large project of applying to get in somewhere with having transcripts and LORs sent, I also have five pages of forms for each school for this grant, making it an even more massive project. IU is annoying me with a special recommendation form that they want me to send to people rather than a LOR. And I still haven't taken the General GRE! It's an entrance requirement! And I'm stressing over whether or not to take the Praxis I? Should I bother?

*STRESSED OUT*

On the positive side, I'm also going to apply to Ball State for their MA in Educational Psychology, which was brought to my attention by this post: View Single Post I may only apply to three programs in order to avoid all these forms and the expense of having all my transcripts sent.

Back to my mountain of paperwork! Studying for the GRE General test would be like a vacation from this research. Sad I never thought I'd consider studying math more fun than applying to grad school.

I'm complaining a lot right now, but I will be glad if/when I get accepted. I just had to vent my frustration a little.
[SIZE="6"]~~ Alissa~~[/SIZE]
[size="4"]"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." - - Henry Ford[/size]
[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="2"]DONE:
BS Liberal Studies, Excelsior College May 2009
[/SIZE][/COLOR]
Current website favorite:
http://www.careeronestop.org/
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