How to Get an Education Without Breaking the Bank

We are living in turbulent and unsettled times and things feel unstable. BUT, there are things we CAN control and one of them is coming out of 2020 better than we went in. One amazing way to better yourself and set yourself up for more success is to gain new skills and education. Think about it! No one can take your knowledge from you! What you know and learn will follow you into your next season of life and open new doors of opportunity.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to get educated affordably (some are even free!)…

Community or Junior College – America’s community colleges (also known as Junior Colleges) offer some of the most affordable education options around. Most community colleges are accredited which means that the school meets certain standards according to regional agencies. This ensures that the credits you earn can be transferred to other schools and other degree programs. Take advantage of CCs/JCs to earn your AA degree, get a certification, or take general education classes to transfer to a four-year school. You will typically save oodles. Case in point…I just completed 9 units in June 2020 and paid only $45/unit which is hundreds less than it would have cost at a university or private school. **NOTE! While COVID restrictions are in place, many schools are offering classes online only. This means that you can attend a school tens to hundreds of miles away from your home because you’ll never have to step foot on campus!**

MOOC! Massive Open Online Courses are free with the option to pay for a certificate of completion. MOOCs are available in pretty much any subject matter you can think of. BerkeleyX offers a course titled The Science of Happiness! We could all use a little more happiness in our lives. Paying for the optional certificate proves that you completed the course successfully and may be useful to have in the long run. 

Professional Development – Professional development courses can serve you in two ways. First, you can get training that is required or helpful in a job, job search, or promotion. Second, you can pay extra for that training to count towards college credit. For instance, several years ago I went through a year-long program to ‘clear’ my teaching credential through the school district where I taught. I completed projects, met with a mentor, and attended meetings and seminars all in order to have a five-year credential from the state of California. After I was done, I was able to pay a university to give me college credit for all of that work. It was a two-fer! Those units have helped me earn more at my job because my salary is directly tied to my post-baccalaureate education. An example of such a program is Graduate Credit Courses. 

Work-Sponsored Education – If your workplace offers free or low-cost training or schooling opportunities, take advantage! Your skills go with you to new jobs and you never know when you may be hired because you can do something that no one else can do. Also, look into employee paid tuition. Trader Joe’s and Costco are some of the workplaces that will help you pay to further your education.

Grants and Scholarships – Did I already mention that you don’t have to go into debt to get a good education? Each year, BILLIONS of dollars of scholarship and grant money goes unclaimed. Do a little legwork, meet deadlines, and scrounge for this free money like it’s a part-time job. My son who is bound for college this fall, applied for a California Community College grant and his full-time tuition for Fall 2020 cost a whopping….$49 TOTAL. Go to Scholarships.com, BigFuture, and FastWeb for more information.