Working and Going Back to College
This is a rant/question. The situation is rather simple:
- Working full-time for the past 8 years.
- Decided to go back to college to finish my degree.
- My degree, if I want to graduate in a normal amount of time, requires full-time dedication + my occupation is not remote or part-time friendly.
- FAFSA takes into consideration the “prior-prior” tax year.
- If it quit my job, FAFSA is not going to catch up to that for 2 years.
- Because the reduction in income is voluntary, there is no appeal allowed by my school. No special circumstances, no professional judgement.
- 20% of any savings I may have, which are my only possible lifeline, get added to the SAI.
If anyone here has dealt with this in the past, what is your story?
But more importantly… what is the system trying to tell me here?
The way I look at it: 1. Late to the party. The system is made for dependent, recently graduated people, not me. 2. The system is trying to incentivize me to go to school part-time or 3. Not attend college at all (stay in the workforce).
I appreciate you reading this, and good luck with your endeavors.