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Should I take a semester off of college to work and save up money?
I'm a junior in college and after working an at-home make your own hours kind of job for two years, I'm being laid in a week. Luckily, I start a new job in a Verizon store on Tuesday. It's supposed to be full time and it's the only job I could find that had the potential for extra money from sales. Everything else I found was part time and minimum wage.
I'm thinking about taking a semester off to get settled into my new job and to save up money. The reason being that right now a relative pays my rent, but I think he wants to stop in December/March and I don't want to ask him for more money, because he's already loaned me a lot so I could continue going to college. I also can't live on campus.
Without that money though I would need to save up an extra $800 a month to pay it myself on top of about $900 worth of other bills I have. I also can't really find a cheaper place since that's a good deal in my area.
Anyways, that amount is doable by myself, but only if I'm working full time, which makes me think maybe I should take a semester off to figure out if I can even make it work myself and if not figure out what my other options are for living more cheaply.
What do you think?
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It's quite a complicated question but first of all, don't get upset and believe that everything is going to be okay. If I was in your position, I'd not take a semester off. Why don't you try to find online work? For example, you can provide <a href="[Link](Mouse over link to see full location); live paper help</a> or work with a support team. You will be working and studying at the same time and won't be afraid of being out of money.
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If you can save money and save up money thats good but I am trying to figure out on what you are going to save money because even if not going to school, you have the same bills like rent, food, utilities, phone, and vehicle if you have one. Those won't change. The only change I can think of is if you are paying as you go for classes at college, and that's what one of my daughters did. If it would only be less hassle taking a class or two online, then that is a good choice but I assume there is cost there too and if it costs the same and this is the only thing you would be avoiding paying out, then you are not getting ahead. There is no ideal set time or age a person had to earn a degree. SO don't worry about how old you are if it's delayed. If your new job will bring in more money, then more money can go into savings or the cost of paying for the semester can also be saved. If the big difference was working PT before and now Fulltime, then yes, you'll have less time for school. But a class from home via internet is still not a problem. If you'll have enough money with just that job. Or if you decide no school at all, you might want to take on more, some kind of side jobs, a day or two elsewhere where they hire PT or PT every day. My husband and I have both told an employer that we wanted part time but due to other circumstances can only work so many hours in a month or per week. The extra of even just 8 hours of two 4 hr shifts per week will bring in extra money so you don't have to dip as much into what you put away for savings and you are still not overdoing it workwise and will still have some evenings to yourself. If you decide on this and can't find PT work easily, the fast food places and Dollar stores are usually the most flexible working with people who have only a certain day or amount of hours they can work per week
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There are times when one must do what one must do. If taking a semester off will allow you to get financially settled then do what must be done.
What I will also suggest is this: You don't have to lose the entire semester. You can go to school online taking one or two classes on line. My Daughter in-law is doing this to get her masters degree. You can take one of your core courses and say an easy elective for the spring semester and the same for the summer semester. When you return to full time college in the fall you will not be a full semester behind and should be able to start your senior year next January and graduate six months late in December.
Yes this will take up some evenings and it will cut into your social life some. What it also will do is lower your cost of your education as well as virtual course are less expensive in the virtual class room.
My suggestion is in the realm of having your cake and eating it too. You keep your full time job and you don't fall a full semester behind. Depending on how hard you are willing to work when you return to school you could possibly graduate with your class.
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