Did I make the right decision?

RaqibMarvelous

I'm a 20 year old student living alone, and obviously having a job is key to living alone.

I spent six months looking for a job, and I finally found one at the Great Wolf Lodge. I started working roughly two weeks ago.

I quit yesterday, because they could not adjust my schedule around my schooling. The manager told me straight, "it's either your school or your job" and I picked school.

I'm en-route to becoming a surgeon, so any gaps in my education would only increase the long road ahead of me.

I'm not sure if that was the smartest move on my part, as I am struggling to get by. I actually just barely scraped out of a situation where I almost went homeless about a month ago.

What are your thoughts? Did I do the right thing? Or am I as big of an idiot as I think I am?

shellebelle87

You aren't an idiot, but it may have been best to find a new job that could accomodate your school before quitting your job. If you are in that much financial trouble, it probably wasnt the best move, but school has to come first.

RaqibMarvelous

You aren't an idiot, but it may have been best to find a new job that could accomodate your school before quitting your job. If you are in that much financial trouble, it probably wasnt the best move, but school has to come first.

See, the problem is I was going to school Monday - Friday from 8:30AM to 2PM, and then I worked from 4PM - 12AM. My job was about 45 minutes away from my school, so I had no time to do homework.

My classes both require me to travel a lot for credit. Which, I could not manage while working. If I had continued working, my grades would have suffered severely.

frankos72

School will really get hard if your living under a bridge. Find a job that can be flexible. And next time line up your next job before quitting your old one.

RaqibMarvelous

School will really get hard if your living under a bridge. Find a job that can be flexible. And next time line up your next job before quitting your old one.

I posted the situation in a bit more detail above your post- I was in a position where I could not continue working, sadly.

rungirl1973

I quit school for 2 1/2 years when I was younger because I was broke all the time and took a job that didn't work with my school schedule.

I never regretted going back to school, but I did regret quitting. If you quit, you run the risk of never going back, happens to people all the time.

kymillion

you know what you did the right thing I think you are awesome and I am in michigan is that where the great wolf lodge is that you worked at? and I think you can do something about her/him not working with you.

RaqibMarvelous

you know what you did the right thing I think you are awesome and I am in michigan is that where the great wolf lodge is that you worked at? and I think you can do something about her/him not working with you.

I worked at the one in Grapevine, Texas. I bet the one in Michigan has a kinder staff!

kymillion

too bad you cant transfer

HealthyNFit4Life

Could you change your living situation? Perhaps find a roomate?

fabafter5

No you mmade the right decision. You need to find a job with a flexible schedule. Waiting tables got me through college, look into it. You can work at a place like Cheesecake Factory or Applebees and have flexible scheduling and turn around a lot of tables for some good money. To make ends meet, you can also pick up shifts from other servers when school work is light or you are on vacation from school.

You are a minority woman in the medical field. Have your tried grants or scholarships?

RaqibMarvelous

Could you change your living situation? Perhaps find a roomate?

I've been looking for a roommate for a while, I haven't haf any luck.

No you mmade the right decision. You need to find a job with a flexible schedule. Waiting tables got me through college, look into it. You can work at a place like Cheesecake Factory or Applebees and have flexible scheduling and turn around a lot of tables for some good money. To make ends meet, you can also pick up shifts from other servers when school work is light or you are on vacation from school.

You are a minority woman in the medical field. Have your tried grants or scholarships?

I'm not a woman o____o

But I am on FAFSA, I'm not sure if there are any other scholarships I'm eligible for. Any suggestions?

rml_16

At your age and with your goals, you made the right decision. School is more important than a temporary job. You'll find something else. Good luck with everything!

Assassins_Angel

i think you did the right thing sticking with your education, isnt there any government support you could get as you are in full time education?? may be able to help you out a little

HauteP1nk

Yes, you made the right decision. Any workplace that doesn't support students and education isn't worth it. Find another job that will help you focus on your education!

rebeccasedwards

Education is important!!!! Hang in there. Your hard work will pay off.

vim_n_vigor

Could you change your living situation? Perhaps find a roomate?

I've been looking for a roommate for a while, I haven't haf any luck.

No you mmade the right decision. You need to find a job with a flexible schedule. Waiting tables got me through college, look into it. You can work at a place like Cheesecake Factory or Applebees and have flexible scheduling and turn around a lot of tables for some good money. To make ends meet, you can also pick up shifts from other servers when school work is light or you are on vacation from school.

You are a minority woman in the medical field. Have your tried grants or scholarships?

I'm not a woman o____o

But I am on FAFSA, I'm not sure if there are any other scholarships I'm eligible for. Any suggestions?

Go see a counselor at your school. They are really the only ones that can give you advice tailored to your situation.

Lolli1986

You've already quit, so it doesn't really matter if you made the right decision or not because there's nothing to be done about it.

The only other choice you had was to quite study, and that is always a bad idea until it becomes absolutely necessary. So don't stress and keep looking for a job that works.

jennifer52484

Just keep looking. You can always find a part time job to make ends meet. Maybe try bartending.. They will work around your school. Good luck with your search. School was def the better choice.

engodwin

I'm a 20 year old student living alone, and obviously having a job is key to living alone.

I spent six months looking for a job, and I finally found one at the Great Wolf Lodge. I started working roughly two weeks ago.

I quit yesterday, because they could not adjust my schedule around my schooling. The manager told me straight, "it's either your school or your job" and I picked school.

I'm en-route to becoming a surgeon, so any gaps in my education would only increase the long road ahead of me.

I'm not sure if that was the smartest move on my part, as I am struggling to get by. I actually just barely scraped out of a situation where I almost went homeless about a month ago.

What are your thoughts? Did I do the right thing? Or am I as big of an idiot as I think I am?

School is first! I say you did the right thing. I never every let anything come between me and bettering myself (education, working out, etc). You can find another job. And you WILL. Might not be doing what you like/want but you can do it. It's not easy being in school and living on your own, but it can be done.

Look for grants/scholarships to help with housing cost. There are TONS out there. Go to the FA office at your school and ask them for ideas/help.

carriem73

you totally did the right thing- struggling a little now will pay off with a secure future- hang in there, find a roommate, and do look for a job waiting tables- easy money!

AmadaLynn

You must find an employer who supports school. School should come first. Hang in there! Maybe you can get a job at your school?

SusanMcAvoy

Can you move back home with your parents short term while going to school? Or the idea of a room mate is also good. That way you can get your homework done and not have as much stress financially? I imagine it must be pretty hard trying to pay rent and make it out in the world all on your own while going to school. I wish you the best success. Ohh and in answer to your question, in my opinion school should always come first but you have to still live and support yourself. Tough call. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

jlc1243

They way I look at it is either struggle now or struggle for the rest of your life. Education is so important and you sound like you have some really great aspirations. Stick with it! It might be hard but it will be worth it in the end. Best of luck to you!

Emancipated_Tai

In my personal opinion, you made the right decision. Your young and the fact that you already know what you want to do in life and pursuing it is awesome!

When I was your age I chose work over school. Here I am 10 years later and only in the first stage of a long journey to becoming a lawyer. I don’t regret my decisions because the path I took made me a stronger person in life; however, if I could do it over again I would have chosen school & been a lawyer by now.

Don’t get discouraged. This may seem bleak now, but I promise it will pay off in the long run. Good luck

Sister_Someone

I think you did the right think. In my opinion, possibly the only thing to be put before education is health. You wouldn't have the brightest future without either. No lame job should ever hold you back from improving yourself.

However, it's also highly unlikely that you'll be able to get by without a job, and even if you did it would probably be very stressful.

The first idea, obviously, is to find an employer that's supportive of school. I'm sure there are more of them than you think. Even if not, you could keep

You could look into roommates. It would take a lot off your shoulders in terms of rent and housework, plus, living with someone is always more fun than completely alone.

If your school offers dorm housing, maybe consider that. I'm not in college yet, but I'll be soon and from what I've learned as someone who's planning to leave town for college, dorm housing can often be significantly cheaper than having your own place.

If your parents live in town and you have a decent relationship with them, maybe you could think about swallowing your pride for the time being and going back? I can imagine it would be a major blow to the pride, but I think your pride can take a little beating for the bigger picture.

Assuming you have good grades, you could look into taking a student loan or try to score a scholarship of some sort. There are many companies/funds interested in helping good students.

Bronx_Montgomery

You def made the right choice. It will be worth it in the long run. I know that you are stressed financially but you can always make it work by getting a job that fits around your schedule

morganhccstudent724

Decision is made. Let that part go.


Now you need to be seeking new employment. I would also contact the city to find out if there are any grants for electric or water since you are paying for housing with little to no income.


PS - I went back to school after a break and finished last year. Lots of night classes and weekends doing homework instead of being out and about. The joys of being a grown up

thomassd1969

Have you ever thought about doing work online at home? I had a friend that put herself through college working so many hours a week doing data entry work for a hospital at her own pace.

RaqibMarvelous

Have you ever thought about doing work online at home? I had a friend that put herself through college working so many hours a week doing data entry work for a hospital at her own pace.

Could you give me more information on this? I would definitely be interested in doing that. I spend most of my time on-campus, so an online job would be ideal. Especially data-entry!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

It would seem that you seriously need to talk to someone about loans, grants, and scholarships. Have you discussed financial aid with the school and discussed your situation with them? Also, a lot of schools have work programs, also if you already are associated with a major talk to that department about paying positions. Research scholarships online, you're probably out of time to apply for anything but there are so many out there for everyone there's probably a "procrastinator's scholarship" you could apply for. Talk to professors from your major with which you have a decent working relationship to see if they have any ties in the community to do some work in your field. Go to a temp agency and talk to them about finding a position that fits your schedule. If there is a walmart in your area, some of those are 24/7 and might be able to work with your schedule. You have options, you just have to be open to other possibilities. What about a Wendy's or Taco Bell, they have 2nd shift hours and might let you multitask on the job. Talk to other students and find out what they do. Look at job boards at the school (student union or departmental offices) and see if there's anything posted. How are you with kids? Some people work 2nd or 3rd shift and just need someone to feed their kids, spend time with them, provide a safe environment, get the kids off to bed, and then hang out there to make sure nothing happens. They'll pay pretty well for it too (there are websites dedicated to finding babysitters that match your criteria), but you'd do well to be cpr certified in advance.