What should we do next???

[Lindagerr]

My daughter was let go from her job Friday. I ca not afford to help her out right now I only work part time and she is now the 3rd member of my family on unemployment.

She wants to return to school while she has the time. She was thinking maybe she could get a part time job(if she can find one) while returning to school. She has less than 30 CC credits(we are not sure how many) and she would like to get her AA or AS. She has worked for about 15 years as a secretary/administrative assistant. She jsut recently seperated from her husband and she is low on cash. Today we signed her up for unemployment and got her a FAFSA pin #. We could not do the whole FAFSA application because she didn't have all the documents she needs.

So finally to the question. Should she borrow the money and apply to her local CC now? Or should she wait and see if she is approved for any Financial aide? She also lives here in NJ, should she see if she can get a faster appointment with Unemployment and see if they will give her any money for college? She was planning to start CLEP test once she was settled, but now I don't know how they would affect things. If she borrowed money to enroll in a class starting May 24 would that cause a problem with unemployment or FAFSA?

I have paid for my education completely out of my pocket so I am not sure which step to take first.
Thank you for all suggestions.

[cookderosa]

My daughter was let go from her job Friday. I ca not afford to help her out right now I only work part time and she is now the 3rd member of my family on unemployment.

She wants to return to school while she has the time. She was thinking maybe she could get a part time job(if she can find one) while returning to school. She has less than 30 CC credits(we are not sure how many) and she would like to get her AA or AS. She has worked for about 15 years as a secretary/administrative assistant. She jsut recently seperated from her husband and she is low on cash. Today we signed her up for unemployment and got her a FAFSA pin #. We could not do the whole FAFSA application because she didn't have all the documents she needs.

So finally to the question. Should she borrow the money and apply to her local CC now? Or should she wait and see if she is approved for any Financial aide? She also lives here in NJ, should she see if she can get a faster appointment with Unemployment and see if they will give her any money for college? She was planning to start CLEP test once she was settled, but now I don't know how they would affect things. If she borrowed money to enroll in a class starting May 24 would that cause a problem with unemployment or FAFSA?

I have paid for my education completely out of my pocket so I am not sure which step to take first.
Thank you for all suggestions.

I can't imagine that borrowing money in this situation would be good. There is money for school, you just have to know where to look. First off, since she doesn't have her BA degree, she can get a pell grant. If I were her mom, I'd tell her to limit the number of credits she takes to = her pell. Pells are usually just under $6000 per year, that's good (Free) money. Also, there may be job programs through unemployment that pay for her schooling. My Certified Nursing Assistant course had 3 women in it who were attending on Uncle Sam's dime because they were displaced workers. Lastly, she could CLEP, and while that's cheaper than credit- it won't be paid for by Pell Grants, so it might not be the best route today since she may be eligible for free credit elsewhere. Maybe she can have a yard sale or put some items on ebay and stash a few extra dollars into a "CLEP jar" for later. For now, I'd be all about stocking up on cash.


Just because it's part of my world right now, let me plug CNA training. (I know you know about nursing school.) While not glamorous, CNAs are in very high demand. They are directly involved in patient care, and do support duties of nurses. It's entry level skilled work (charting, taking blood pressure, taking pulse, assist grooming, assist feeding, assist bathing, changing linen, fetching things for the nurses, etc). Many CNAs work in nursing homes, but there are many other options (hospitals, clinics, home health, assisted living, doctor offices). The up side to a job like this is the EXTREME demand- she could likely work any shift she wanted and they would be happy to have her. This allows one to go to school, work another job, etc and still possibly earn a little $ to live on. Here in the Midwest, CNAs make about $10-$12 per hour with $1-$2 shift pay for evening hours. I'm sure it's higher out east. But $26,000 per year for 5 weeks of training (IMO) isn't bad. I've applied for a job in a hospital, so I won't be doing nursing home care, I'll be doing labor and delivery on the mother baby floor. Typical CNA classes are under $400 and are only 75 hours in length- mine was 5 weeks total! In the state of Iowa, if you get a job as a CNA within 12 months of completion of your course, your employer is required to reimburse you the full amount of your course. Just something to throw out there.

[Lindagerr]

The CNA might be a great idea for some (I did that ~37 years ago) My daughter would be horrible in this job. She practically faints at the sight of blood and does faint at the sight of needles:ack:

The yard sale is out she left most of her belongings with her ex, her apartment is decorated and furnished with secondhand and borrowed items.

I am interested in the Pell grant, how do you apply for these?
We are going to try to find out about unemployment and educational aide, but they didn't give her an appointment until June 23rd. We are trying to find out if she can start something sooner.

Given the current economic situation in NJ, the expectation is that she will be out of work for a minimum of 6 months. With unemployment she will be able to pay her rent (just signed a 1 year lease in April) and maybe her health and car insurance. I don't know how she is going to eat.

My husband has been out of work for a year now after 30 years, my 20 yo son out for 6 months after 4 yrs and my higher paying job has not needed me in 15 months after 20 yrs. My 22 yo son is disabled and has never had a job. I am just very frustrated right now. I love substitute teaching, but at $10/hr I could make almost that working at McDonalds. The cost of living in NJ is high, taxes are insane, but I don't know of anywhere that is much better these days.

[cookderosa]

The CNA might be a great idea for some (I did that ~37 years ago) My daughter would be horrible in this job. She practically faints at the sight of blood and does faint at the sight of needles:ack:

The yard sale is out she left most of her belongings with her ex, her apartment is decorated and furnished with secondhand and borrowed items.

I am interested in the Pell grant, how do you apply for these?
We are going to try to find out about unemployment and educational aide, but they didn't give her an appointment until June 23rd. We are trying to find out if she can start something sooner.

Given the current economic situation in NJ, the expectation is that she will be out of work for a minimum of 6 months. With unemployment she will be able to pay her rent (just signed a 1 year lease in April) and maybe her health and car insurance. I don't know how she is going to eat.

My husband has been out of work for a year now after 30 years, my 20 yo son out for 6 months after 4 yrs and my higher paying job has not needed me in 15 months after 20 yrs. My 22 yo son is disabled and has never had a job. I am just very frustrated right now. I love substitute teaching, but at $10/hr I could make almost that working at McDonalds. The cost of living in NJ is high, taxes are insane, but I don't know of anywhere that is much better these days.

Ok, one step at a time. The Pell grant will be applied for by her school's financial aid office when she fills out the FAFSA. It sure wouldn't hurt to pop in on Monday and see if they can tell her about it- they might be able to provide a clue as to the $ available. Pell grants require taking and passing 6 credits per term. Excess is returned to the student in the form of a check. Many people buy books and pocket the rest. There is no designation for the excess, it would be hers to keep. So, if she did 3 terms, 6 cr each, she could get a nice amt back each term. If her CC charges $150/credit, that would be a refund of about $1000 per term. Granted, no one is getting by on that, but it's certainly nice to go to school for free and get a payment. Every bit helps.

Also, she could consider selling her plasma. Locally, you can come in twice per week, and each time pays $40 - so that's a couple hundred bucks easily.

Depending on her age, health, and personal preferences, she could consider being an egg donor. IF there is a facility anywhere in the tri-state area, she can donate (if I remember correctly) twice per year and it pays about $10,000 per donation. Big $, but big decision.

Also, consider off the books jobs. Baby sitting, dog walking, lawn mowing, house cleaning- these are all excellent sources of cash on the spot. I've done them all lol. Sometimes, twenty bucks comes in VERY handy.

Lastly, don't be too proud to visit a food pantry. Every community has them, and they can be hard to find- but a few years ago we needed it for our family, and so I was thankful they existed!!

[bricabrac]

Linda,

The one stop career center can direct your daughter to the tuition waiver program. As long as she has existing credits and has interest in a high demand career (you can look up current jobs on the unemployment website) she would qualify. Not sure the requirments now, but in 2005 you were required to go to school full-time 12 crs per semester spring and fall. She could also attend Summer and Winter semesters to fast-track but in my opinion not doable with 12 credit requirement. There is a grant program - $4000 towards trade, vocational school and even TESC if the job is in demand but the funding/slot is hard to come by. Might be waiting close to a year for placement.

The good news is if she takes advantage of the tuition waiver program whe can go to her local communitiy college, or local college (Rowan, Kean) and will only be responsible for minimal fees (like $100-150) and books. She would also then be approved for ABT benefits when the unemployment runs out. For the tuition waiver she would still need to complete a FAFSA. But I would wait until speaking to a counselor and then start the ball rolling (locating health record, requesting transcripts...etc). FAFSA will be required not matter what school or program she goes into so may want to locate that paperwork. Most important is to check the website and locate an indemand job for her county first. She will need this to qualify for any program through the state.

Good luck, as you are aware NJ is a bear right now but getting better, or so I've been told.


Department of Labor and Workforce Development | Financial Aid/Training Grants

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/forms_p...406_a_.pdf

[BrandeX]

As a NJ resident, I would get thee to TESC. you may not even need to spend much of your own money to finish an AA/AS as a reident with financial aid if you take just a few classes and clep/dsst/fema/whatever the rest.

[marianne202]

Hey Linda!

Boy, I know you sure don't need this on your plate right now, but if it makes you feel any better, it all always happens at once with us too! Have her check with unemployment because she should be entitled to training through the workforce investment act (WIA). This money pays for a lot of my students and they cover tuition, books and gas money and my medical coding student will even have their certification exam paid for, not bad considering the exam is $300! She would want to contact the WIA counselor at her local unemployment office or you local college may have a dedicated WIA counselor. They are set up mainly just for displaced workers, especially those without degrees. Tell her to give them a call. She should be able to talk to them and see about funding before her unemployment appt, because it isn't just for those on unemployment. Let me know if it helps! I hope this will work for her! Good luck!