Money and Stuff

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Estimated reading time: 4:30 minutes

Recently a personal finance specialist of great renown has predicted that retirement Will disappear; in his opinion, we Will continue working when we get older, but we’ll work less, and we’ll change Jobs over time, going back to school at Will to learn to do new things that we want to try.

It’s an intriguing idea, but I think it’s going to get time if we’re ever going to get to that point. However, truth or not, it’s unquestionable that adults nowadays are returning more and more to search for new opportunities through education, be it at university level or through trade schools. Continuing education requires both dedication and time; and in the US, it also requires money.

Part 1: What would you like to do?

You don’t have time
Do you have a life partner/spouse, hobbies, children, or a difficult work schedule? Keep in mind that nowadays both universities and trade schools know this, and if you check you will be pleasantly surprised to find that educational institutions offer schedules during the day, afternoon, evenings and weekends, plus a bunch of courses that can be completed online. Oh, and if you think that online courses aren’t serious, just take a look at the OAS’s super specialized Virtual Campus. Times, they are a changing!

Online courses today allow you to work at your own pace, but they have tasks, papers, and

You can visit the OAS Virtual campus here.

tests that you must get done and through to pass the class, just as if you were going to class. Some online campuses even have more intensive courses for people who are willing to work extra hard to finish earlier.

Companies hiring only want university degrees, and those are very costly
This is true for some jobs, but those companies will never ask you where you started your degree. Community colleges offer university-level courses in many, many subjects at a fraction of a university tuition cost. It’s perfectly acceptable to study all the CORE subjects (the basic subjects that all degrees have), plus the level 100 and 200 courses of your intended degree at a community college, and then transfer your credits to complete your 4-year degree at a university.

You don’t want a degree but something useful
There are many ways to learn useful skills:

Trade schools (also known as vocational schools): nursing, IT, aeronautics, agriculture,

Montgomery College has several campus around the
DC area, and a very competitive course curriculum.

mechanical and tech repairs are all professions that will be in huge demand in the decades ahead. If you’re interested in anything like those, here’s the Forbes Magazine list of the best trade schools in the United States.

Trade associations: my fiancé is a property manager and, besides his degree, he has obtained the national certification for property management, and property management administrators, which would allow him not just to run his own company, but to qualify for a high-level position in another property management company. These certifications exist in many work fields; find your trade association online and check out their certifications/education section.

Online universities and academies: they used to be like mail-order courses, that nobody

Check it out here! 

took them seriously. But online academia has evolved and nowadays there are full online universities and academic centers of great prestige where you can learn just about anything – and they distinguish themselves for being on the avantgarde of anything related to new technologies, programming, and online utilities training. Udacity is the jewel of MOOC academia, but here’s the list of the best online schools as rated by the actual students that have attended them.

Part 2. You know what you want to study. Can you afford it?

Scholarships are no longer kids’ stuff
Everyone has the right to apply for scholarships and grants today, and what’s more, some of those are specifically reserved for adult students who want to finish their degrees or study new things. To find out for which you qualify, first you must complete your…

FAFSA
This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that’s available to anyone studying past

The FAFSA may be completed by hand or online.

high-school. This form allows the applicant to be considered for every scholarship and grant whose givers have registered with the US government -thousands-. The application, as it says, is free and if you want financing for your studies next year, the application period is now open.

Additional grants and scholarships
There are scholarships granted exclusively to adults that are not to be obtained via the FAFSA. The organization Scholarships.com has an article on the list of the best scholarships and grants available to you, including the deadlines to apply to each one of them for studying next year.

Last year I published a blog post on helping parents finance their kids’ college education, and on it is a listing of webpages that that highly competent sources when looking for grants and scholarships that you would only find on your own by spending hours of research time either online or in a library. I really recommend it.

Financial assistance from your employer
Find out if your company or organization has a tuition reimbursement program for continuing

It's never too late!

education. Because employee education improves the quality of work, many companies opt for helping their staff finance their studies. Find out.

If your decided to dive in and expand your knowledge, I congratulate you; I’m a firm believer that humankind should never stop learning new things. I wish you the best in your new -or continuing- education, and hope this guide will have been of help to you.