4 ms·

This is making me think twice about taking out student loans to go back and get a BS next spring. I truly doubt that I would be able to, cognitively, work and s

This is making me think twice about taking out student loans to go back and get a BS next spring. I truly doubt that I would be able to, cognitively, work and study at the same time - one of the two would suffer.

elai 17y ago
Go to another country/state where education is a significantly cheaper? Europe maybe?
- DrJokepu 17y ago
  Education in Europe is only cheap if you're a European Union citizen. As an overseas citizen, you won't be eligible to any government subsidy. In the UK, that would mean about $20K per year for an undergraduate course, which is still not very expensive compared to some US universities, but not as cheap as the Home/EU fee (which is around $4800 a year). Education for Home/EU students from disadvantaged backgrounds is free, of course.
  - elblanco 17y ago
    I can echo that having been invited to study abroad a couple times during my education -- and unfortunately having to decline due to the very large financial burden it would have created with minimal payoff outside of the "cool" factor of studying at a well known European school.
- Rubenb 17y ago
  In Belgium the standard fee is about €530 a year, not including housing and books. If you come from a low income family you pay significantly less and have the option of cheap housing.
- warfangle 17y ago
  If only I were eligible for dual citizen status (and thus decreased education costs) in any of the countries my family originated from. Unfortunately, said lineage is much too far back (3-9 generations) to make any dual citizenship claims in any of the countries (UK, Netherlands, Lithuania). If any of you know the opposite to be true about that, please let me know.
camccann 17y ago
You don't need to go to university to study. In fact, if you're actually motivated to learn, it's almost as likely to get in the way. There are certainly some potentially good reasons for going to university, but if you don't have your goals firmly aligned with such reasons, you'll just waste your time and money. So--what are your goals? And how do loans and a BS degree program get you to them?
- warfangle 17y ago
  My goals? To eventually get into more AI / statistics / datamining (currently I do primarily UI development) / graph analysis. I've tried to teach myself the math involved, but I've come to the conclusion that to really learn it I'll need courses in it. It's mainly the math, I think, that I'll have "trouble" (actually have to study) with - not the programming. Without loans, I'd have to work full time to support myself. This would cause my performance at school to suffer, unless I took a barista/service type job. Which I'm not sure I could support myself with (to be honest, I don't know how the baristas here in NYC do support themselves with it). I've been out of the service industry since my first go-around at college, and have no desire to return whatsoever. With loans, I'll be able to concentrate fully on the work involved, and perhaps have time left over to build a few cool things that I don't have time for now. A BS degree program will get me the background in maths (Bayesian theory, calculus, linear algebra, statistics) and advanced computer science (ANNs, GAs, compiler design) that will get me to the place I really want to be: advanced/next-gen datamining and knowledge systems. I'd really like to be working on how to analyze how people connect and predict trends based upon it. (Yes, I understand that many privacy people, including myself, have issues with such a thing. It's something I'm fascinated with, but have moral qualms about implementing. Also, lack of experience/know-how.)
  - camccann 17y ago
    It's mainly the math, I think, that I'll have "trouble" (actually have to study) with - not the programming. Have you considered finding a study partner for learning the math? Or a tutor--if you live near a university, you could probably find a math major that could use some spare cash. I'd really like to be working on how to analyze how people connect and predict trends based upon it. Working where? At an existing company? There's not too many options there, so you'd want to plan toward landing a relevant job (whatever that might take--and a degree alone isn't worth all that much; professional networking is). At a start-up? In that case, debt is probably the last thing you want.
cschneid 17y ago
I've thought about using student loans as a cheap business loan if the economy tanks bad enough that I lose my stable job. I sign up for a masters, get loans to live on (with few questions asked), and work 50/50 on school & business. Worst case is that I come out with a failed startup and a masters degree. And loans, but meh...

elai 17y ago

Go to another country/state where education is a significantly cheaper? Europe maybe?

DrJokepu 17y ago
Education in Europe is only cheap if you're a European Union citizen. As an overseas citizen, you won't be eligible to any government subsidy. In the UK, that would mean about $20K per year for an undergraduate course, which is still not very expensive compared to some US universities, but not as cheap as the Home/EU fee (which is around $4800 a year). Education for Home/EU students from disadvantaged backgrounds is free, of course.
- elblanco 17y ago
  I can echo that having been invited to study abroad a couple times during my education -- and unfortunately having to decline due to the very large financial burden it would have created with minimal payoff outside of the "cool" factor of studying at a well known European school.
Rubenb 17y ago
In Belgium the standard fee is about €530 a year, not including housing and books. If you come from a low income family you pay significantly less and have the option of cheap housing.
warfangle 17y ago
If only I were eligible for dual citizen status (and thus decreased education costs) in any of the countries my family originated from. Unfortunately, said lineage is much too far back (3-9 generations) to make any dual citizenship claims in any of the countries (UK, Netherlands, Lithuania). If any of you know the opposite to be true about that, please let me know.

camccann 17y ago

You don't need to go to university to study. In fact, if you're actually motivated to learn, it's almost as likely to get in the way. There are certainly some potentially good reasons for going to university, but if you don't have your goals firmly aligned with such reasons, you'll just waste your time and money. So--what are your goals? And how do loans and a BS degree program get you to them?

warfangle 17y ago
My goals? To eventually get into more AI / statistics / datamining (currently I do primarily UI development) / graph analysis. I've tried to teach myself the math involved, but I've come to the conclusion that to really learn it I'll need courses in it. It's mainly the math, I think, that I'll have "trouble" (actually have to study) with - not the programming. Without loans, I'd have to work full time to support myself. This would cause my performance at school to suffer, unless I took a barista/service type job. Which I'm not sure I could support myself with (to be honest, I don't know how the baristas here in NYC do support themselves with it). I've been out of the service industry since my first go-around at college, and have no desire to return whatsoever. With loans, I'll be able to concentrate fully on the work involved, and perhaps have time left over to build a few cool things that I don't have time for now. A BS degree program will get me the background in maths (Bayesian theory, calculus, linear algebra, statistics) and advanced computer science (ANNs, GAs, compiler design) that will get me to the place I really want to be: advanced/next-gen datamining and knowledge systems. I'd really like to be working on how to analyze how people connect and predict trends based upon it. (Yes, I understand that many privacy people, including myself, have issues with such a thing. It's something I'm fascinated with, but have moral qualms about implementing. Also, lack of experience/know-how.)
- camccann 17y ago
  It's mainly the math, I think, that I'll have "trouble" (actually have to study) with - not the programming. Have you considered finding a study partner for learning the math? Or a tutor--if you live near a university, you could probably find a math major that could use some spare cash. I'd really like to be working on how to analyze how people connect and predict trends based upon it. Working where? At an existing company? There's not too many options there, so you'd want to plan toward landing a relevant job (whatever that might take--and a degree alone isn't worth all that much; professional networking is). At a start-up? In that case, debt is probably the last thing you want.

cschneid 17y ago

I've thought about using student loans as a cheap business loan if the economy tanks bad enough that I lose my stable job. I sign up for a masters, get loans to live on (with few questions asked), and work 50/50 on school & business. Worst case is that I come out with a failed startup and a masters degree. And loans, but meh...