I don't need no stinking degree... Do I?

There comes a time when you seriously have to ask yourself: What do I want out of life?

I know that sounds like a really big question to ask yourself but you need to start somewhere. What are you doing right now? Does it suck? Are you dissatisfied? I've found that the biggest motivator to overcoming odds is to be just plain fed up. You need to be so sick and tired of your state of affairs that you're willing to put in the work to do something to change it.

For many of us, being a young parent meant leaving college behind (or opting out altogether). Have you ever found yourself browsing the job listings and everything you’re interested in applying for has this big, fat stop sign on it: "bachelor’s degree required"? These days it’s not just a formality, it’s a downright requirement. I mean, do you really need a four-year degree to be an administrative assistant at a Fortune 500 company? Very unlikely, but if a position becomes available that could possibly usher you into the financial freedom you’re looking for, your lack of a degree will definitely hold you back. Our parents’ generation had the benefit of subbing in hard work and on-the-job training for a formal education. But with today’s market as competitive as it is, you need to be, well, a competitor.

Embarking on the collegiate path is a big undertaking. It’s just as much a commitment as your full-time job, but if you’re really frustrated with being underemployed then you’ll make the commitment. Here are a few steps to get started:

• Start in community college: It's cheap, it's accessible and it's flexible. Talk to the advisors about getting on the "transfer track" and begin making progress on those core courses that will register time (and money) saved once you apply to a 4-year college.
• Consider an online program: The availability of distance learning has made degrees possible for so many working folks who don't have the option to sit in a classroom. Check out eLearners to explore your educational paths. Choose a school, research them to be sure they are properly accredited, and request enrollment information. I personally prefer degree programs that are associated with a brick & mortar institution. I am intermittently working on a master's degree online through Gonzaga University (I admit, I'm a label snob). Some of the top schools in the country offer online learning now, and you could only benefit from the brand equity of a recognizable school. If you choose distance learning, I consider it beneficial to make at least one trip to the campus... maybe for your graduation. It will give you a chance to bond with the institution.
• The money is out there; find it: I've heard that there are grants and scholarships available for nearly everything under the sun... and it's true. Exercise caution in your paper chase because there are shady companies looking to capitalize on the optimism of eager students. Fastweb is an excellent source for finding legit money for school. There should never be a cost associated with finding or applying for scholarships.
• Don't be deterred by expensive schools: My research is unscientific, but I've found it to be true... the more a school costs, the better their endowment, the more money they have to give away in financial aid. Each year in undergrad, Southern Methodist University was the donor of my biggest grant. I was there for four years and only ended up financing the equivalent of one year. Schools require you complete the FAFSA to be considered for financial aid.
• Apply for Federal aid: Because you have a dependent (or a few) the government responds in your favor. And the benefit to making crappy wages is that you'll qualify for need based grants. Stafford loans are an additional means to make up any shortage on expenses. (And they're not based on creditworthiness, woo hoo!) I know some of you might be leery about taking out educational loans, but consider it an investment in yourself. Besides, in most cases you can draw out the term as long as 16 years. With interest rates in the single-digits, it's not something to spazz about. Sallie Mae services all of my student loans and they've been nothing short of stellar in terms of flexibility and payment options. Also, most lenders offer a six month grace period after you finish school before you begin repayment. NOTE: Do not, under any circumstances default on a Federal student loan. That is the government and they WILL get their money one way or another. Not only will default wreck your credit and kill your eligibility for future Federal loans, but they are fully entitled to garnish your wages to make sure you pay what you owe. When applying for loans, read all of the fine print. The last thing you need is to get caught up with a predatory lender who will bury you before you even really start.
• Borrow wisely: I am the first to admit that when that financial aid award letter shows up and you see all of that big, blazing loan money available to you, you wanna take it ALL. Don't. Calculate what you will need for tuition, books, equipment related to your classes (a funky fresh new laptop, maybe?), transportation and borrow only that amount. Even though student loan repayment terms are flexible, still less debt is better. Sallie Mae's Be Debt Savvy(tm) offers insightful and practical information about managing credit and debt (news everyone can use).
  
• Get your student ID and use it unashamedly: Businesses love students. It doesn't matter your age, if you've got a valid student ID, brandish that bad boy everywhere from electronics stores and restaurants to movie theaters and mass transit get your discount. Even if it's 5%-10% off, that's money in your pocket. Check out Student Advantage and pimp your student-status for what it's worth! The student life office can also inform you of partnerships in the city for discounts.

Hopefully this list can help you get motivated. Even if you're not 100% certain about your career path, choose a field of study that offers practical, real-world value. Don't get too caught up in the mindset that you have to major in the field you plan to enter. (Sometimes medical anthropology majors end up becoming television writers.) In some cases the right major is necessary, but if you're half way through a program, go ahead and see it through. Consider a minor in a different discipline to make you more marketable. At this level of the game, your degree is a stepping stone; internships and jobs offering relevant experience are the keys to getting into your choice field.

Introduction

Young: Jay-Z said 30's the new 20, right?
Fab: Have you SEEN the profile pic?
Broke: Frequently, but I’d outgrown Suze Orman’s smartly-named niche market before she’d even published that book—even while factoring in two smiling differentiators, aged 7 and 9.

Starting a new blog is always a weird thing for me. I never quite know what to say in the first post and I always have a mental image of walking into an empty, white room (a la the booting program in “The Matrix”) with my 4” heels clicking on the floor. Here? Yep, same feeling. Well, now that I've babbled for a bit, I suppose I can introduce you to the theme of this project. This blog will be the work-in-progress that will eventually become my book. My living guide for the YF&B single mom.... Ugh, that just sounds *bleh* to me. "Single mom" sounds so wack and middle aged (not that there's anything wrong with that--it's just not ME). I think I've only used the term "single mom" as a trump card. "Hey Quia, can I borrow $50?" "MAN, I'm a single mom! You can't ask me for money!" Anyway, I don't have a title yet, but I guess that's what publishers and marketing departments are for. That's ironic because I work in marketing. Interactive marketing. And I'll take that as a segue to explain why I think I'm qualified to write this book.

I was a 20-year old college drop out when I had my first child. Her arrival was a sobering wake up call to the fact that I really needed to get my sh*t together. Hanging out in a nearly empty apartment consuming pretzels and orange juice every day while my new daughter drank the benefits of WIC wasn't a long term option. Besides, I was making $10/hr at the time and I could barely pay for our living expenses. After my cash car died, I swallowed my pride and moved back home with my mom. The college I had my eye on offered full tuition benefits to full-time employees, so I got an admin job there, and applied for admission after a few months.

While I was working and taking classes, I met my [ex]husband and got pregnant with my son. By the time my son arrived, I'd quit one job at the university, and gotten fired from another. I gave up on the idea of working on campus and decided to apply for financial aid and attend full-time, while working full-time as an assistant manager at a retail clothing store. Fast-forwarding through the train wreck that was my 18-month marriage, I found myself at my mother's house--again, this time with two small children. I finally saw the error of my ways and put my dating life on the shelf--a high one. For three years, me and the kiddos resided in my mother's guest room while I attended school full-time, worked part-time as a file clerk at a law office, held several internships and an editorship at the student paper. Those three years were not an easy journey and it often involved a few of my professors overlooking the fact that I was asleep in the corner of the classroom. They knew what I was trying to do and they were sympathetic. For that I am forever thankful to them.

My children were among the guests at my commencement. I was 24 years old, then. I had lofty aspirations of graduating and coasting into a nice editorial job, but when none materialized, I started freelancing for a magazine that I interned for in my senior year. After about two months of underemployment, I landed my first job at a media company, managing their website content. I was earning $34k. It seemed like the ideal offer until I tried to support a household of my own on that salary. I lasted 18 months before a bittersweet departure to a technology company as a web designer, commanding a whopping (for me, at least) $50k salary.

I knew during the interviews that I would hate the job immediately (there is absolutely nothing sexy about system security) but I was in a vicious cycle of payday loans and I was out of payment deferrals on my car note. The job offered relief from my financial burdens and I started enjoying life a bit more. From putting some money aside in my 401k and Roth IRA to going out of town with friends several times per year, I was finally beginning to enjoy my money. And then I bought a house.

Suddenly $50k wasn't enough anymore. I received 100% financing and got a fixed 6.625% interest rate on a 30-yr conventional mortgage. My homeowners insurance and taxes are held in an escrow account, bringing my monthly payment to about $1,400/mo. That in itself wasn't crippling, but forking over twice my usual electric bill, paying the lawn man, and the kids’ skyrocketing child care costs, were. After-school care was double what I paid in my old apartment’s school district, and I no longer “qualified” for reduced-rate lunch and tuition. I put qualified in quotes because there was a little bit of dubious activity involved with the application for reduced-rate lunch and child care, but I digress. In my new school district lunch is about $2/day per child, and here's the kicker: summer camp averages $150/wk... PER CHILD. It was time to make some changes.

Counting it up, I logged about 18 months at the technology company before I ended up where I am today. In the interest of not angering HR, I will just say that my current salary put me in a new tax bracket. I am the first to admit that my compensation acrobatics defy the rules of logic, but I am not arguing. In all irony, I'm earning that kind of money doing work that I didn't even go to school for. I've been a net nerd since 1999 and everything I know (which really isn't THAT tech-intensive) is self-taught. And here I am... a web marketing specialist in the private aviation industry. GO. FIGURE. But I know what I'm doing, and I love my job. I earn enough to comfortably pay my bills, have fun, shop hard and be responsible. Now if only I could get back to the part about saving...

Today, I'm young, fab & building--building a bright future for my little family. The purpose of this book is to share with other parents how I arrived where I am, and how you can do it too. Oh yeah, and I’m dating again. But there are no more children in the forecast. I’m done.