Help! What are you doing for income while in school?

clucito01 · Jul 30, 2011

Begging family members for help! Seriously though save save SAVE!!! It's hard enough to do school full time & work 10 - 15 hours a week doing respite care!

szeles23 · Jul 30, 2011

I rely on my husband for our income since I have been a SAHM for the past 2 years. I am fortunate enough to have this but after we get CNA clearance I may look for a part time job (weekends) as a Tech or CNA.

Lifeofanurse · Jul 31, 2011

I understand the question but yet I don't. I'm by no means well off. My kids have had mcdonalds like 3 times in the past 3 months...not much room for extras in my budget BUT....I also knew that going in I may have to leave my job, to spend more time to study, or cut back hours to a bare min. and I did have to do that as well. This isn't something you didn't know when you applied to school. Why wasn't this addressed before now?

My thinking is you need to have a plan to live...you can't just wing it. You still need a roof over your head and food to eat...your phone, cable and other extras can go if it comes down to bare bones. You know what your going to need to live on...so you are going to have to either work through school to make it. Borrow from family. Ask for help...go to financial aid and see what they advise you to do that will help you. You're about to start school so your already running late...you need to figure this out NOW... one thing you CAN do is borrow books, make sure you really NEED them before you shell out money for them (we didn't need to have half the ones on our required list). Car pool to clinicals. Sack lunches. Take snacks and a little lunch cooler w/ drinks ...keeps you away from the vending machines which are overprices. Good luck!

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

I understand the question but yet I don't. I'm by no means well off. My kids have had mcdonalds like 3 times in the past 3 months...not much room for extras in my budget BUT....I also knew that going in I may have to leave my job, to spend more time to study, or cut back hours to a bare min. and I did have to do that as well. This isn't something you didn't know when you applied to school. Why wasn't this addressed before now?
My thinking is you need to have a plan to live...you can't just wing it. You still need a roof over your head and food to eat...your phone, cable and other extras can go if it comes down to bare bones. You know what your going to need to live on...so you are going to have to either work through school to make it. Borrow from family. Ask for help...go to financial aid and see what they advise you to do that will help you. You're about to start school so your already running late...you need to figure this out NOW... one thing you CAN do is borrow books, make sure you really NEED them before you shell out money for them (we didn't need to have half the ones on our required list). Car pool to clinicals. Sack lunches. Take snacks and a little lunch cooler w/ drinks ...keeps you away from the vending machines which are overprices. Good luck!

It not that we don't know this ahead of time but everyone one on this board is MARRIED, have supportive family, have a savings account, or still live at home with mom and dad. Yes school is a priority and we have to make the approapiate sacrifices but NOT working is not an option for everyone. I don't think those of us that do work need pitty but we also don't need to be judged on our means of survival. I don't know if you started nursing school yet but you will learn about maslow and hiearchy of needs. If our physical and safety needs are met than we won't survive nursing school or anything else. Your tips are wonderful and everyone should use them, however some of us still have to work to survive. Instructors make their recommendations but they also know we need roofs over our head and food in our tables.