Going Back to School

By Robert, Ticket Counselor

What can I do to increase my income and improve my job prospects?  Will going back to school give me the extra edge I need in today’s job market?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  I have.  Personally, I decided that I need to go back to school part time to expand my career opportunities while still working to support myself.

In doing my own research I came across this chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Click image to open large version.

According to their study, education affects:

• The amount you earn, and

• Decreases the likelihood of you being unemployed.  (Data is from 2010 annual averages for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.)

On average working full time without a High School diploma or GED you may earn roughly $444 a week.  Getting your High School Diploma or GED can help increase this to $626 a week.  This puts an extra $182 a week on your paycheck!

Here at EmployReward Solutions one of the great FREE services available to you is our Education Planning Assistance.  If you are thinking about going back to school, call us and let us know and we will be excited to help you find the schools that offer the classes you are looking for!  Whether you want to go to an online school or take classes in a traditional classroom setting, we will point you in the right direction.

The cost of school is a huge factor in deciding if you are going to go back to school.  There are a number of options when it comes to paying for school.  With Education Planning Assistance, we can help you explore your financial aid options.

A great place to start applying for financial aid would be by completing a FAFSA application at  http://www.fafsa.ed.gov (Free Application for Student Aid) to determine if you are eligible for Grants and or Loans.

Grants are government money that is awarded to you to help pay the cost of School.  These are income based and do not have to be repaid.

You also have the option of taking out student loans to cover the cost of school if grants are not available or don’t cover the whole cost of tuition.  These are generally low interest rate loans that only have to be repaid once you are out of school.

The financial aid office at your school is a great resource to guide you through this process.  I was intimidated and confused by the process until I was able to talk to the staff and they really helped me to understand what I needed to do and guided me through the steps I needed to take to get set up.   

Don’t forget that being in school counts towards your “Timely Progress” as well.  Not sure what I am talking about, take a look at our previous article on the subject:  Timely Progress.

So if you are a Ticket Holder and like me have been thinking about your future, consider going back to school it may make the difference between living from paycheck to paycheck and having enough money to do more.  Contact us we want to hear from you!