TESC Living Expense Loans

[Derek]

OMG Derek, rethink this. I seriously don't want to be pushy, but you certainly shouldn't even give a 25,000 PLUS tuition loan another thought. Wow. Do you know what kind of return on investment or break even point will be necessary to recover that loan plus a year out of industry?! Couple things- first, don't quit your job. TESC classes are not intended to be for traditional students who have no life outside of school, they are FOR working adult. Don't quit your job.

Second- don't enroll at TESC yet.
Third- start testing on a cash-only basis. Pay as you go. Spend the next 6 months testing out and when you get within 1 year or less of being finished (and needing the classroom part) then enroll using ONE student loan. (roughly $6000) and or a pell grant (in which case it would pay nearly 100% of your TESC degree).

Seriously, you don't need to quit your job. I averaged 21 credits per semester while raising 4 children (I homeschool them from 9-2 m-f) followed by working 2 nights per week and volunteering 1 night per week. Seriously, you don't need to quit your job. Test, test, test. Study an hour a night and you'll be WAY ahead of the game. You'll be testing 1-2 exams per month at that pace. Seriously, you don't need to quit your job, and you CERTAINLY don't need a living expenses loan. If anything pick up a second part time job to pay for your CLEPS. (I sold on ebay- which paid for 51 CLEP credits and who knows how many Peterson's lol) Ok, so seriously, don't quit your job. Don't borrow $25-35 thousand dollars.

Jennifer, I truly appreciate your thoughts, however, I wish it was that easy. It's really not even a choice at this point in time.

My lease recently ran out and I have just moved back to my hometown. I was commuting 2 hours each way PLUS traffic to my job. Being in retail, there were several close to my hometown. They REFUSED to transfer me. I started applying to positions 4 months prior to my lease ending (roommates graduated and moved home, I couldn't pay for the apartment myself), and they just would not transfer me. With the cost of gas & tolls, I wasn't coming out on top.

The entire time, I was also applying to other jobs in my hometown. (The few that there are.) I was lucky to obtain a part time job 2 days/week @ $9.50/hr. Just over HALF of what I was making. It has upset me beyond anything else in the world. I've been going door to door to businesses trying to get anything to just get the bills paid. It hasn't worked out in my favor.

Not to think highly of myself, but I'm a great employee! No criminal record, always work hard and beyond the scope of my duty, and retail experience since I graduated HS in '08.

Two days a week, 8 hours a day at $9.50 an hour sadly won't cover my costs. I'm still searching but can't find anything. So, in a sense, I think this is a sign for me to finally begin my life, begin my path to a career.

Without a loan that large, I'll be screwed. I won't be able to pay for my phone, my health insurance, car insurance, car, utilities, and most importantly, my education.

Unfortunately, I was raised with old fashioned parents and at 21, this is what I'm looking to without a degree. I won't even qualify for financial aid.. my EFC is just under 40,000. So, as of right now I'm at risk to lose everything if I cannot find a living expense loan. With the deferred payments, it fits perfectly. I can pay all my monthly bills, tuition, books, etc. While working that 2 days a week, I can put that money towards the interest gained on the loan.

And after graduating TESC, I hope to get the Scholarship for Service through the Feds for Information Assurance/Security. The $12,000/year stipend would go to pay off the loan plus whatever part time job I have at the time.

Unfortunately I'm in a bad situation regardless.

Thanks again,

Derek