How can I become able to afford a masters degree?

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Araial
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22 Oct 2015, 8:50 pm

I have a bachelors degree, but cannot find a good job... I work part-time, three days a week at 5 hours a day. I barely make $400 in a month.

I was thinking of going back to school and get a masters in library science, but do you know what kind of non-loan financial aid I can get? Are there any scholarships for people seeking a post-graduate degree? My family and I are not rich, but I need to get out of this rut I'm stuck in...

Thanks in advance.


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Jacoby
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22 Oct 2015, 10:28 pm

Go massively into debt and worry about it later?



izzeme
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23 Oct 2015, 3:08 am

scholarships exist, but they are usually only awarded to exceptional students.

The way to pay for a masters is to either convince your employer, or to go into debt. no real other options there



Fnord
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23 Oct 2015, 6:10 am

A Master's degree in Library Science?

WHY?


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MrsMartians
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23 Oct 2015, 6:48 am

Scholarship or improve your skills to land a better job so you can pay for grad school yourself.



underwater
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23 Oct 2015, 6:54 am

Maybe do document control instead? It's a lot better paid, there are a lot more jobs, and if you live in Texas, there's the oil industry that uses document controllers a lot.



Araial
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23 Oct 2015, 10:45 am

Fnord wrote:
A Master's degree in Library Science?

WHY?


I think I'd do well in that kind of job.

And to everyone else - thanks for your advice. I've got a lot to consider. I was a really good student - I graduated magna cum laude with a 3.67 GPA, so if I'm lucky, I could maybe get a scholarship. Otherwise, I guess I'm doomed. :)


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frenchmanflats
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26 Oct 2015, 3:02 am

There is a lot of money out there. Sallie Mae has good college loans. The DOE has many scholarships but you have to pay it back.



QuantumChemist
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26 Oct 2015, 10:09 am

Before one decides to borrow for their education, one needs to weigh out the probability that they can repay the loan if certain hardships happen (ie delays in getting work, health issues, family issues, etc). Certain well paid professions can make this decision easy, but even then, life events can have an affect upon what actually happens. Sometimes you have to predict the unpredictable to be ahead in life.



BTDT
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26 Oct 2015, 10:18 am

Unlike normal debts, you often can't get rid of student loans via bankruptcy.
http://www.studentloanborrowerassistanc ... ankruptcy/

If you are a really good student, you can study for a MS/PhD while being a Teaching Assistant

http://gradschool.cornell.edu/costs-and ... stantships



arielhawksquill
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26 Oct 2015, 10:25 am

Here's a page from the American Library Association about financing your degree: http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/car ... pfinancial



SocOfAutism
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28 Oct 2015, 10:22 am

Fnord wrote:
A Master's degree in Library Science?

WHY?


hahaha!

You could study Education and teach for a couple years afterward. Then some of your student loans will be forgiven. I've read a couple articles that say that Masters of Education people actually make more than the rest of us with grad degrees.



piiigs
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28 Oct 2015, 11:13 am

I could suggest to move to european countries where higher educations are free. If you are willing to learn another language that is... here in norway there are many master programs available in english... free of charge. Living cost is damn expensive but if you fit into the category you could loan money from government with no interest. Which is how I fund my study.