I am 26. I went to college straight out of hs and went full time for seven years. I also worked full-time. My best advice would be to make sure you are studying a topic that you really enjoy. I know that when I was disinterested, I did poorly. Also, I transferred twice. My third transfer was definitely more appropriate for the “non-traditional” student. I graduated from Franklin University. They offer a vast amount of degrees online and in class-rooms. I took some of each. I absolutely loved it, it gave me the ability to work with other students and professors that know there is more going on in life than college. The professors work full-time jobs as well, the majority outside of the university. Real world experience and the ability to tell you what you will actually experience. You can definitely do this! Naturally I recommend my school because I loved it. And if you have internet you can do it. The financial aid there is incredibly helpful too. I know it sounds like a commercial, but it’s not. I went to BGSU and OSU as well, they just weren’t the best fit for me. You’ll find the best fit for you, just don’t give up, you can do this!

Well, I’m 54, work full-time and go to college. So it can be done. As far as financial support goes you can get student loans, that’s what I do. You don’t have to pay them as long as you’re in school. Major events will always happen in life and you must learn to roll with the punches when they come your way. A major event is no reason to drop out of school, especially when you are getting good grades. You need to live around the major events rather than let them direct what you do. Major events are a minor set back, but are not the end of everything, so stop letting them control your life. You take control and take charge of them.

If you are “almost at the end of getting your degree” then you know there is a ton of financial aid available to you as well as work study programs and directed study to allow you to work and stay in school. There must be some other reason why you don’t finish your degree but at this stage money shouldn’t be the primary reason. If by chance it is, I would talk to a financial aid counselor to find out how to apply for the assistance you need. I assume all your FASFA material is current. If not, request a semester off and bring your information current and file the necessary paperwork and get ready to ramp up for next semester. You need guidance and discipline. Get it done!

I actually coach people so I will give my answer from that perspective. I would ask you what you love to do. If you don’t know I would help you figure it out. Then I would ask if colledge is going to give you a career where you are doing what you love, using your gifts & talents? If not we would figure out how you could make money doing what you love & proceed in that direction. If you really need colledge to do what you love we would see what you would have to do if you tried it again. How can you do better the next time around…If for example you wanted to work in the medical feild I might say take the summer off & work in the hospital as a transporter. They are the people who pick up people from their rooms to go for a test, etc. They have some down time to study or watch movies, oops giving away their secrets…I can’t tell you everything I would do as a coach but I can tell you I would grieve the lost & get to the stage of acceptence & find the gift in it cause it is a gift but it is hard to see at first. Something else is meant to happen. Of course, that works unless you are a person afraid of success so we would work on that issue if you were. There is so much you can do & if I can help you find a positive way of handling just e-mail me.

Its not what has happened, but what you do after it happened. A failure is when you give up, and throw in the towel. Not succeding is when you didn’t make it, but got up and kept on going. If its your dream, then you will find a way. If its something you love, then analyze what went wrong, see what obstacles you have, and do what you need to do to achieve those dreams. No matter what happens, look at what you have in front of you, and don’t let that go. If you keep on wondering, then time will run out, and your children will be grown and gone. There is still time, and maybe your not where you wanted to be, but it doesn’t mean that you have to give up.

27 is not old years-wise. 58 is really not even old years-wise. It just feels old because you are so stressed with family responsibilities, and it feels like your dream will never come to fruition. I am 58, and will probably go back to school for another degree. I retired from middle school after 29 years of teaching. I finally got a masters when I turned 40!! Got another certification when I was 45. I’ll be 65 or so if I go for this next degree!!!

I will probably ALWAYS be studying.

Take your time. Life will wait for you. You are where you are meant to be right now and right here.

Slán agus Beannacht

I recommend you do the following:

1) Attend junior college online

2) Apply for aid and you should be able to get your college class fees waived depending on your income

3) Take 2 online classes, right now

4) Next semester, keep on taking online classes and if you want, opt to take 1 class on-campus.

5) Then next semester after than take 2 and then 3 and so forth. Do this, until you have finished JC.

6) Try to do the same for college if you are comfortable, but by this time, you should be okay going to college as a full0time student.

I am in my 80th year of life, so 27 sounds VERY young to me!

My suggestion is to take one or two classes along with your work and pay for them out of your current earnings. I don’t know how many classes you have left to take, but say that it took you five more years and you would be 32 when you finish. My question is, how old would you be in five years if you didn’t finish?

One caveat – be sure you find out if your college has a deadline for finishing a degree.

Get a list of exactly what you need and find out if you can take some of the credits at a less expensive college and transfer them.

Go for it! I am pulling for you!

s

just stick to it and go to school, a good friend of mine is 19, works 40 hrs a week, is a full time student 12-17 hrs and gets good grades. so its not impossiable to work and take a few credit hrs. if you dont give up you should be able to finish your education.

Try online courses. I have many students who work fulltime, with kids, and still take a course of two per semester. Many are much older than you. If they can do it, so can you.