cptofthehouse

The maximum dollar amount an undergrad with junior or senior standing can borrow for the year is $12,500, of which a maximum of $5500 is subsidized. The total amount of Staffords an undergrad can have is $57,500. I do not know if there are grandfather rules in all of this that gives OP and/or wife some exceptions. So if your wife has not borrowed at all, and gets junior standing with her credits, she can borrow $12500 for the year. She would get about $6250 for the first term, with origination fees taken out as well as the tuition, fees, insurance (if you don't have your own) and whatever else the school charges. That health insurance will take a hefty bite if you don't have any. Where it might be possible is if she is still eligible for PELL since that is free money, and with a zero EFC, she could get up to $5550 there if she is full time, and if the cost of attendance justifies it with living expenses, PELL plus Staffords can make a nice dent in getting things rolling. You will not be eligible for PELL under any circumstances since you have a bachelors already. You would only possibly be able to get loans if you have not used up your maximums.

But, yes, theoretically, it could work if neither of you have used up your eligibility for federal funds and the Cost of Attendance caluculations work out. Up to $5550 in PELL for your wife plus the max of $12500 in loans for her plus $12500 in loans for you. Those are MAXIMUM POSSIBILITIES, not certainties and depend on what you have borrowed and used before, which is why you need to track all of that back and sit with a fin aid officer to see what you can expect to get. Even if you can get a windfall this way, I really caution you to look for skill dependent courses of study where there is known demand, good pay out there. Psychology or any general degree ain't gonna do it, unless you win the lottery.

EastCoastGirl715

David,

Have you considered a reputable trade/vocational school, or a career-oriented program at a community college? You would be able to learn a useful skill (x-ray technician, culinary, real estate, air-conditioning and heating repair etc) relatively quickly. Just be careful of predatory for-profit "schools."

DBanner1

Neither one of us ever had any loans of any kind. When I went to college back in the 80s, the total amount I paid out was $7300. That was for community college the first two years and small private college the final year and a half. I managed it all very closely. I worked my schedule out in such a way that I only had to attend classes three days per week, Mon-Wed-Fri, for the entire time. I had a small amount of help with a New York State Regents scholarship, a small amount from the state's Tuition Assistance Plan (which was like a grant), and I also had the benefit of the fact that the two institutions had an agreement whereby if you graduated in good standing from the community college, you automatically received a $5000 PER YEAR scholarship to attend the private college. This country will never see that kind of a deal again. The idea of $7300 total for a 4 year degree, including books, transportation costs, and the whole shebang, even in those days, was quite a marvel.

I would just like to make it clear that my wife and I have always tried to get any kind of a job that's been out there. We have never been picky. Minimum wage jobs are a foot in the door and a start and we have always known that. We have applied for tons of them. (And we are the kind of people who do not need a lot of money to be happy....our material wants are few. A bunch of books from a thrift store is like Christmas. :-)

I have had interviews with Best Buy and a McDonald's. In both cases, I was dressed better and was more presentable than the interviewers. I sincerely tried to dress in an appropriate manner, but I was just completely unprepared for the level of slobs that I ended up dealing with. There is a point at which you simply can not lower yourself any further.

Definitely 'wow' moments.

David

thumper1

I'm having trouble understanding how this OP and his wife have been paying their bills since the '80's. They haven't been able to find ANY jobs...or the ones they did find didn't work out for one reason or another.

Call me dubious...but I'm finding this story a little hard to believe anspd a little hard to follow.

sylvan8798

thumper1 - There is something subtly disturbing about the repeated excuses and putdowns of everyone and everything else. It's difficult to give advice under the circumstances. Maybe we need Shrinkrap?

cptofthehouse

If the problem is with the OP and his wife, all the education and training in the world will not net jobs. However, getting training in some field where there is a shortage of those with that specialization will improve their odds. I don't think psychology is a good field to pursue.

They have been living with those who have needed their medical care and have been doing volunteer work. The problem with doing these things is that you gotta have an eye out for keeping your job marketability up there too, and that is something the OP and wife did not do.

kelsmom

As second bachelor students, you and your wife would not be eligible for grants ... no Pell, no SEOG, and generally no institutional grants. You would each be eligible for up to $9500 in Stafford loans as freshmen, $10,500 as sophomores, and $12,500 as juniors/seniors. That is all that is guaranteed, and most likely all that is available.

If you were to work on masters degrees, you would each be eligible for up to $20,500 per year in Stafford loans. That is usually it for financial aid.

Does OH have programs for dislocated workers? MI has a program intended to assist people like you & your wife in retraining for the future. It pays for college classes. OH might have something similar - you might want to do some research.

Community colleges have a lot of excellent certificate programs that will lead to careers in areas that have jobs ... at a low cost. I would suggest making an appointment with a career counselor at a CC or at a state jobs center (if your state has them) ... find out your strengths & what programs might be a good fit and pay off in a job in the relatively near future.

kelsmom

BTW, I do feel bad for your situation. I had a hard time finding work after staying home with my kids for almost 20 years. I still make a lot less than I ought to (in my opinion, anyway) - but it is a lot more than nothing, so I deal with it.

AHSTeacher

Perhaps a CNA certificate would be the most expedient way to employment? It can be gotten in 75 hours contact time with a certification test. This would lead to full time employment for both of you. With your experience, you both should be good candidates for jobs at nursing homes. Because it's a certificate program, financial aid cannot cover it. Total cost should be no more than $500-$600. All community colleges offer the CNA. Because of your circumstances a state program may pay for the tuition. Go to your local community college to find out.

After you get on your feet, then check out additional schooling.

All previous financial advice has been outstanding.

cptofthehouse

Since the wife does not have her bachelors, the PELL is possible in her case. That and subsidized Staffords can be a good option and can pay for some courses and living expenses. She should look at a directed job program at a local community college. I've known a number of kids who went to some top colleges and could not get self subsisting jobs, and found that getting some courses in Medical billing or other direct skill got them in the door in positions that paid a bit more, and then once with a job, the BA allowed the to expand on it.

thumper1

How will this couple pay both living expenses AND college costs for two unemployed people? They say they are homeless, and have no car, but then say they are living with the 85 year old mother of the husband.

I would think they need to get their living/financial arrangements in order before they decide to enroll in college.

I agree with others...a CNA would give them immediate employment in most areas of this country...assuming that this couple finds a "suitable" employer in their eyes.

cptofthehouse

Right now they have zero money, no car, and no place to live other than the mother's apartment. Clearly, other than moving to a homeless shelter or finding someone they know who will take them in, they have no choice but to stay where they are until they scrounge up the money for a deposit and first month's rent payment. Without a car, it is going to be a problem for them to even get to school or a job. I don't know how they have been getting around, as it is unless Mom has car they are using. But they have been getting groceries for Mom, taking her to the doctors, etc, etc, so they will have to use that venue until they find another. Since they did care for Mom when she needed it, she can certainly let them stay until they get on their feet, but given the circumstances of a small residence, they need to get out of there. WIthout any money, like zero $$$s, they aren't going to get any living/financial arrangements in order without getting a job, and then a pay check, for starters.

If the wife can find a good solid program at a community or other state college that has good DIRECTED employment prospects, she can get PELL, Staffords, that will give them a small windfall for living expenses, a jump start out of Mom's apartment. The funds will not be available until she is accepted to school, enrolled in school, all applications for aid and promissory notes signed, and the school has taken their cut, but there would likely be some funds for living expenses in there if there is indeed a zero EFC and she has not taken out other federal loans and monies for college and she does not have a Bachelors yet. They would be allowed as much as what the college COA is for commuting up to the max Staffords and PELL. It would be disbursed on a half year basis. With some of those funds, the OP can then enroll in a certificate course that would make him more employable and maybe get a junker of a car that can just get them to where ever they have to go.

However, just from the posts, I think the OP is going to have to do some major attitude adjustment to get and keep a job. We all have to "suffer the indignities" of lowering ourselves to the mainstream standards if we want to eat, have a roof over our heads and have some money. The OP and wife do not sound like they should be unemployable as they are right now. If the problem is with them, all the degrees, training and certificates are not going to get them jobs.

lerkin

First, I'd like to remind some posters here, that it is easy to judge someone's attitude of frustration if you have never been in their shoes. While I do not necessary have the direct experience like OP does, I witnessed my parents having to reinvent themselves when they were 42 and 47 respectively. They were kind of in the same shoes as OP (but not the same), as they did not have any work experience in the US and no work references (because they were immigrants). At times, it was frustrating and they would whine and complain. It did not mean they were picky in their job search, it just meant they were frustrated. Also, it is hard to even get minimum wage job if you don't have work experience. Everyone in my family, including me, had to use some kind of connection/community resource, to get their first job.

Second, since people here picked on OP's attitude, my hunch is that it shows during interview and my advice to the OP is to try check it (no matter how degrading you feel the process is).

Also, I contacted the poster mini (not mimi, sorry) and asked them to PM you regarding your options in farm work. If it works out, which I doubt because I believe the work is on East Coast and you need to physically get there, it might be short term solution to put aside some money while looking for permanent solution. Also, if one needs to stay behind to help your mom, then another needs to go and work on the farm to earn some money.

I also would like share the experience my parents had to go through to establish themselves in this country at about the same age as OP is right now. Maybe OP can get some pointers from that. Both of my parents have engineering degree and held pretty high positions in my home country. None of this mattered in the US. My mother went to community college to get some kind of certification in accounting. Through doing well in classes, she was able to get teachers to help her find jobs. My mom's spoken English is atrocious, even almost 20 years later I cringe when she speaks English, so without the help of her teachers she would not be able to get her foot in the door. Her first job was to sell watches at little kiosk in a local mall. Because of her hard work, she was eventually promoted to be a manager of that kiosk. When she finally obtained her accounting certificate, another teacher helped her get an entry level accounting job. She eventually got Associates Degree, switched jobs and obtained MBA (paid through tuition reimbursement by her employer) in accounting. She was working full time and went to school part time. She was able to do that because she already has Bachelors degree in Engineering. She now has a decent job at a decent wage. She does not make as much as she could have if she was native speaker and not so old getting into the game, but it is OK. She has a steady job.

My dad, just like you, was lied by one "employer", who used my dad's skills in the start-up without paying my dad any money. My dad's first paying job was through a temp agency. He had an assembly job at $6 per hour for couple of years. All these years he sent and sent resumes everywhere he saw fit. For the past 15 years he has a good job, where he is valued because of his engineering background. He is not an engineer, he is a technician who works on a highly complicated equipment, which requires knowledge of Physics. He is always the first one to get called for over time by other shift managers because of his knowledge.


My dad is planning to work until he is either 70 or 72 (he wants to retire when my mom retires). They put maximum amount into 401K/IRA and are trying to maximize social security benefits. They achieved all of this without going into (student loan) debt. They will be OK when the retire.

What I am trying to say, is do not give up. My dad had to do this when he was older than you are (and did not have language skills you have). Follow advice on this board regarding resources you might use. Also, even if you are not religious, join a church and volunteer there. First, this work might give your references. Second, you might pick up a student or two to tutor in English. Third, you might develop connections. Good luck.

DBanner1

I will add some information here, so as to perhaps clear up some misunderstandings. My dad passed away in November of 2004 and I was blessed to meet my wife a month later. Her dad passed away in March of 2005. Her mom passed away in June of 2006. Her brother passed away (colon cancer) in June of 2007. My brother passed away (heart attack) in May of 2008. We had auctioned my dad's estate in 2005, so there were some funds generated from that. (My parents were divorced.) My wife had a very modest house that had been basically the only settlement from an ex-husband. Our thought had been to live there because of less upkeep expenses than the 6 acres and 3 old buildings that my dad had. Further complicating that was my wife's sister who at the time was having marital problems and had nowhere to go. For a while, we land contracted the house to her and we moved into a small mobile home. And we were constantly job hunting at the same time. Plus helping out as much as we could with all of those funeral bills in 5 consecutive years.

Any frustration(s) that might come across here does not translate to the same coming out in employment interviews, etc. Long ago I learned how to 'play it close to the vest' such that reactions do not have their tells in body language, facial expressions, etc. I feel that it is just the basic fact that job interviews, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the employer, are like ballets much more so today than they were in decades past. Some people say they are like a game. I feel that is too suggestive of malice on the part of employers. I think what's at the heart of it is simply level of competition. I do feel that some employers go to extremes in their attempts at fact-finding in regard to employee candidates.

Let me give you a clearer picture of some jobs that we have had. We worked for the owner of a motel. I was the maintenance manager and my wife was the office manager. At first, it seemed ideal. I was working to maintain not only the 21-unit motel, but also a rental duplex that belonged to the owner, and also his personal home and property. I really enjoyed it. There was plenty of varied work both inside and outside and it was much like what I had done for my dad and his property. After a couple of weeks, things started to spiral downward. A guest in one of the motel units had to go to the local hospital because he was covered from head to toe in bedbug bites. It was actually the worst case that the hospital had ever seen. The motel owner blamed the whole thing on the guest and claimed that he had brought them in with him. The local health department sent a representative out to investigate the situation. He spoke to the owner and then he spoke with my wife and I out of the owner's presence. What he said to us was very illuminating. The owner had attempted to claim that this was the first bed bug infestation at his motel. The man from the health department told us that it was an every-year situation. The problem was the owner's idea of....'thrift.' Mind you, this was an owner who was in no way hurting for lack of funds. He was having my wife manage not only the business, but also his personal finances, so she was aware of his net worth. Things began to fall into place in our minds, because up to that point there had been more and more of his practices and procedures, or lack thereof, that had begun to add up and raise some questions. Necessary cleaning supplies that he did not want to purchase, smoke detectors whose batteries needed to be replaced that he did not want to buy, etc. The longer we were there, the more that we became aware of along those lines. Here is one specific example of how bad things became, near the end of our employment: There was a day when he and I were returning to the motel from having done some work at his home. (Approximately 20 miles between the two.) Along the way, someone had set out a queen-size mattress with a sign that said 'free.' The mattress was just leaning against a pole. It was not wrapped and looked as if it had been out in the weather for a few days. It was also stained with what looked like various bodily fluids. He wanted it for the motel. I strongly advised against it. He had us load it into his minivan and bring it back with us. Inside, I was extremely disgusted but I didn't let it show. Upon our return, I suggested that at the very least, it should be sprayed with Lysol disinfectant. He said no....a few whacks with a broom to knock the dust out would do just fine. That was the new replacement for another mattress that had been so old and dilapidated that there were springs sticking out in various places and the complaints from guests just would not stop. That was his solution and he was very happy that such a fortuitous occasion had come along. We were gone not long after that. He expected us to lie to the health department, the village code enforcement officer, and various other agencies. We flat out refused to do that.

My wife and I are not complainers at all. We tried our very best to keep our jobs. I was up at the top of a 20' ladder in November in considerable wind and temperature of 47 degrees painting his house, because that is when he wanted it done. I didn't say a word about that, but simply adapted myself to it and quietly did my work. But when you are required to make false statements to authorities just to keep your job, that can not stand.

It's that sort who will hire anyone, because no one is willing to stay under such conditions. And that is the kind of thing that we have encountered.

That guy manages to just squeak past the law. He may have some connections somewhere. His motel consistently gets the worst reviews there are for filth. How does he stay in business? There are more people in need in the town than there is housing for them. He receives vouchers from the welfare department to house homeless people. He earns $350 PER WEEK for every individual or family that he houses in his hellhole!

David

thumper1

David, I'm still confused. Inyour OP you say you either need to return to college OR face living in a homeless shelter soon. I do not see the relationship here. Are you hoping that if you both return to college you will receive sufficient funds to cover BOTH lodging and college tuition, fees, books and other related costs?

Attending college is not usually considered an income producing enterprise.

Applications for fall 2012 and the financial aid deadlines have long since passed. You certainly could enroll at a community college where enrollment is typically open enrollment with flexible deadlines for each term. However, I'm going to stick my neck out and say that your financial aid will likely cover your college tuition, fees, books, and not likely your housing, utilities, car payment, insurances, food, and other personal,expenses.

MOST college students do not receive sufficient aid to cover all costs of living.

I would suggest that you contact the community college nearest you. Inquire about programs for non traditional students. Look at what sorts of courses of study they offer.

Another idea would be to look into some kind of vocational school..there is always a need for a great plumber, auto mechanic, electricians, and the like.

In my opinion, pursuing a PhD program will simply cost you a lot of money, net you a lot of debt, delay your entry into the workforce for years, and truthfully not guarantee you a job.