Can I afford to go to school

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Hello. I have been a CNA for the last 18 years. I became unemployed a few months and am now receiving unemployment benefits. I just learned from a face to face that edd will pay me to go back to school and get my RN. I've done several of my prerequisites for the associate degree R.N. program at my community college and I told edd that it would take me roughly 3 more years until I could graduate, given I get into all the classes I need without waiting. I'm a single mom with no family but my kids. I have rent and a car payment and bills and I'm wondering if I can actually survive financially and complete school. I've never heard of getting unemployment benefits for that long but I'm eager to do this if it's possible. I live in California if that helps anyone who can offer me advice. I have already applied for federal financial aid but I am still in the early stages and my app is still being processed.

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If you have kids, you're likely to get a ton of financial aid. Why are you on unemployment, though? Does nursing make sense for you, physically? How's your GPA? Will you be a competitive candidate for school? You have no family, but what about friends?

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I'm unemployed because I was fired from my last job for taking time off work when I had the flu, which subsequently gave me pneumonia. I had a doctors note excusing my absence but my employer said that since I was still a new employee and still in my 90 day probationary period, that my absence made me look bad. I love nursing and medicine and Ive wanted to be a registered nurse since I was in highschool. Ive worked as a tech in the icu of a level 2 trauma hospital for several years in the past and I found ICU and critical care to be my passion. I havent been to college in a a very long time but I am very booksmart. My gpa was around a 3.2, but that is a ballpark. I have a lot of RN friends, and a few physicians Im friends with and I thought asking them to write me a letter of recommendation wouldnt hurt when it comes time to apply for the program. I have the passion, motivation, and drive to be nursing student and then nurse, Im just unsure if financial aid and unemployment benefits will be enough to sustain my finances to complete this goal.

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Can you afford to NOT take this opportunity? Find the not for profit schools in your area and start figuring out how to make this happen. Good luck!

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Thankyou. This is how I feel too. My gut is screaming at me to go for this and quit worrying about what if what if.

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Thankyou. This is how I feel too. My gut is screaming at me to go for this and quit worrying about what if what if.

Then you've answered your own question...!

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ICU.

It won't be easy, but I had plenty of classmates just like you in nursing school. You WILL need to find a reliable baby sitter though as that was most people's biggest hurdle. You can't miss clinical or lecture. I think we were allowed 1 clinical absence per semester and 3 lecture absences. Prepare for that and you'll be good to go.

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