non-degree/continuing ed question...

[royalewcheeze]

Hi all!  First of all, for those of you who've gotten acceptances, congratulations!  That's quite an accomplishment.  And for those who are still waiting:  take comfort in the fact that there's alot of us in the same boat, and we'll eventually get where we need to be

Comments

[ravenword]

Some employers offer tuition reimbursement. A friend who's working toward his MS at the Harvard Extension School is doing so on his employer's dime -- but, with the expectation that he will stay with the company and put that education to use while working for them. Still, I'd check with your employer to see what their policies are.

I'd also suggest contacting the universities/departments where you'd like to take your non-degree courses and see what kind of financial aid is available to you. They might have some kind of work-study option (working as a grader for some random prof to cut down on your tuition costs) or know about loans/grants that you can apply for.

If you can't find a way to pay for the classes you want to take, you might consider seeking employment at a place that would either a) provide opportunities to do research and publish papers (as a research assistant or similar) or b) provide better tuition reimbursement or other educational benefits. This, in my opinion, is the way to go -- it's better to have your job pay you to get relevant experience than for you to pay some university! But I realize it's not always an option, especially given the current job market.

Good luck...!