Paying for CNA Program

[EphemeralMelody]

Sorry to bother you all, but I am in a difficult situation right now. I applied for school on Friday, it was for a CNA program at a nearby technical college. It looked like everything was good to go - I just needed to take my placement test, get the rest of my immunizations, etc. and then register for classes. The only issue was paying for it.

I was hoping to get some kind of financial aid - loans, etc. - to pay for it, however, it turns out the CNA program isn't covered by financial aid because it's simply not long enough. I'm at a loss here - I simply don't have the money to pay for it out of pocket. The tuition is $914, there's no way I can pay for that in addition to our mortgage, bills, credit card debt, hospital bills, etc. etc. I'm wondering if there's any kind of alternate method to pay for it or cover it but I don't see one.

I am really disappointed. I was really wanting to take the class, obtain my certification and work as a CNA. I worked at a boarding kennel for 2 1/2 years and loved it there, but unfortunately had to resign when my dad fell ill due to cancer so I could take care of him. He passed away and afterward, I looked into returning to my kennel job only to find out they had no openings. I loved helping take care of my dad and thought about how wonderful it would be to take care of sick and/or elderly people for a living, so I decided to look into a CNA program. I was hoping that taking my classes and obtaining my certification would broaden my job opportunities and help me decide if I might want to become an RN later down the road or not. But now I'm at a loss for what to do.

[parumph]

Signature loan from your bank. $1000 loan would be pretty cheap over a year. Pay it off early with your tax refund in 12 weeks (if you get one).

Could also sell an asset or something. Got any bonds? 401K loan? Gold/Silver? Put it on a CC and pay it down over time? Working FT you'd make the money back in less than a month so it is an investment.

[jjic3982]

I'm sorry to hear about your dad, it's touching to hear how that episode influenced you to become a CNA.

I have good advice for you, since I was in the same situation as far as paying for CNA school.

1) There are public adult schools (not like most for-profit) that are normally higher quality and much cheaper (around 500$).

2) There might be government funded programs around your area that pay for your school (Was fortunate to be a part of one).

Wish you the best friend.

[EphemeralMelody]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

After making this post, I have since discovered that I CAN receive funding for the CNA program if I were to do a double major at the community college. So I'm thinking of doing it this way: doing a double major in either CNA/veterinary technology or CNA/RN, completing the CNA program first, doing my pre-requisites for the other program, leaving school to work for a while as a CNA and save up money and then go back to complete the RN/vet tech program. I can't do the full programs right now due to not having a car and the campus holding these programs being too far away for public transportation. (however, the campus that holds the CNA program/pre-requisite courses is close by)

I'm thinking that's what I'll do. If worst comes to worst, though, and for some reason I'm unable to do it that way -- I'll just get some kind of job for a month or so until I've saved up enough money for the program. It shouldn't take too long to save up $1000 and I'd be willing to work at McD's or such until I've gathered the money.