Learning has its Benefits

By: Claudia Owens

What do you do when the desire to further your education succumbs to the reality of these harsh economic times? Many of us are not born with a “silver spoon” in our mouths therefore we must work to earn money to support our lifestyles and pay for education.

In today’s economy it is challenging enough to keep your job due to all of the company cutbacks…let alone pay off any educational related loan debts. It is often said that when you are not satisfied with your current occupation or feel as if your career growth is stagnant, one should invest in going back to school. I’ve heard this from teachers, employers and even family members who seem to believe that having multiple or advanced degrees will solve all of your economic and occupational woes.

However, if you have your Undergraduate degree, should you invest in your Masters if you cannot afford to pay for school? I am currently in the middle of this process. Many university Financial Aid Advisors I have spoken with claim they have seen an increase in graduate student enrollment from last year’s applicants because students who obtained their undergraduate degree could not find employment after graduation and some students were unemployed for a few years after.

So what is the best path to choose if you are stuck between a rock and a hard place? There are some things one must consider before a decision is made and the most important is whether or not you are financially secure enough to invest in 4 or 6 more years of schooling. There are websites such as FAFSA.ed.gov that provide information on Federal Student Aid and provide deadlines that are important to coordinate with enrollment and university application deadlines.

FAFSA has rarely covered 100% of a student’s financial woes, therefore researching other loan programs and grants might be more efficient than requesting another loan from the same loan institution or bank you received your previous loan from. According to representatives at Educational Loan Center, it is crucial for someone to have a history of paying their previous loans on time without default. Once a negative mark has been placed on your credit record it will become a challenge to persuade a loan officer to defer your previous loan to incur another one with a longer payment period. 

Also most university Financial Aid departments will defer your previous loans as long as you enroll in 6 or more credit hours. Loan deferment can provide a sense of comfort to those who are realistic about finding employment after graduation. It saves a lot of Americans from being reported by loan companies for defaulting on their loans, which will be reported to the credit bureau and no one desires to have the burden of a bad credit score.

In the end the choice is yours. Think outside the box. Education can be formal or informal. It can be formal through the educational system or informal over the course of your life, internships and job experiences. Pursuing advanced degrees and continuing your education can be costly, however it is never a mistake. 

“The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, 

but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

- American writer, Alvin Toffler.

Claudia Owens live and works in Atlanta, is a member of the YWTF-ATL chapter, and she recently joined the YWTF-ATL Board of Directors as the Director of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances. Claudia can be reached via email at: claudia.ywtf@gmail.com

Sources:

www.educationalloancenter.com

www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Education Meltdown: Our Future in Peril

By Natasha L. Foreman, MBA

The U.S. is in an educational state of emergency. Across the nation our children are dropping out of high school at staggering rates. According to website dosomething.org, 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year. That means every 26 seconds a student is dropping out – that's 6,000 students per day!

If the majority of jobs require possession of a high school diploma or G.E.D. then what paths are young adults choosing to earn a living and how does that impact our society and economy? Life is already challenging enough, not being equipped with adequate education creates a situation where "can't" and "impossible" become words that our children hear and begin to say on a consistent basis.

What can we as individuals do to save our children and our nation?

Become volunteers through local schools and organizations to help those who are at-risk of falling into this statistical abyss through tutoring and mentoring- even if for only a few hours per month. Organizations like Boys & Girls Club, Operation HOPE, Big Brothers and Big Sisters; and hundreds more are all in need of committed volunteers.

We can help by encouraging those who have decided to walk away from school(oftentimes to get jobs to help out their family), to seek an alternative to traditional schooling through programs that can assist them with earning their high school diploma or G.E.D. that way they are self-empowered and in a better position to become self-sufficient. We can help by starting at home, the place that is oftentimes most neglected and overlooked; turning to the children in our own families to see in what ways we can help them achieve their dreams and reach their goals.

If we can spare a few hours each week to shop for things we sometimes don't even need- we have a few hours to spend with our youth. If we have a few hours to spend surfing the Internet and chatting away on social media sites, we have a few hours to devote to a community in need.

What part will you play in the future of our country?

Natasha L. Foreman, MBA is a Business and Entertainment Consultant, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, and Blogger. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization and Management with a specialization in Management Education, and a certificate in College Teaching. Natasha has been involved in various philanthropic and grassroots movements for over 20 years. She is actively involved in her community, visiting and speaking with students at local K-12 schools throughout Metro Atlanta, Georgia and Orange County, California.

Natasha can be reached via email at natasha@natashaforeman.info,through her Paradigm Life blog at paradigmlife.blogspot.com , or you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/natashaforeman

Free (Your) Mind

“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation.” – Robert H. Schuller

Inherently curious as a generation, millennial younger women are eager to continue our betterment far after graduation, but an obstacle faced by many of us is access to financial resources. Often, with student loans and rent and car payments to cover, there can be little leftover cash for things like education—and that’s those of us with regular salaries, not to mention our unemployed or underemployed peers. So where’s a girl to turn to learn when her pockets are empty? Check out a few free resources for your career development:

The interwebz: With the number of doors to open on the Internet, it becomes challenging to know which knob to try. Pay special attention to what your mentors and networks recommend. Here are a few spots to try out now: Spark and Hustle and the Top 100 Free E-books for Business Students and Entrepreneurs, or get certified in inbound marketing for free through HubSpot's Inbound Marketing University.

Your local library: The library is often a forgotten resource. Think audio books for your commute to work, free lectures, and—oh, yes—books galore. Most libraries require proof of residence to authorize your membership. For many public libraries, you’re not limited to what they have on their shelves; through inter-library loans, it is possible to request books and materials from other nearby libraries, ready for your pick-up at your local branch.

TED talks: In 2007, the TED website was redesigned to specifically allow content from their spectacular talks to be accessed globally. From the TED (Technology, Education, and Design) website: “Over the years, TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Frank Gehry, Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Billy Graham, Peter Gabriel, Quincy Jones, Bono. Yet often the real stars have been the unexpected: Li Lu, a key organizer of the Tiananmen Square student protest; Aimee Mullins, a Paralympics competitor who tried out a new pair of artificial legs onstage; or Jennifer Lin, a 14-year-old pianist whose 6-minute improvisation moved the audience to tears.”