We all want to invest in our future to improve our life. However, the smart idea is to plan ahead and explore the most you can get for your education.
There are three ways to get post grade 12 schooling:
- already have the funds available to pay for the schooling.
- save up some funds somehow or get lots of scholarships and grants to pay for the schooling thus negating some or lots of loans.
- get lots of loans
We know planning an Educational fund is tricky especially in a household with two or three kids. Most kids won’t have enough funds to pay for schooling and getting loans to depend on the financial history of your family which becomes a slim option. Obviously getting lots of loans means paying them off eventually in the future. That means starting off life after school already in debt. That leaves option 2 as the most reasonable option.
If you are lucky enough and have high grades, scholarships are the best choice for your education. Then, it comes back to planning and budgeting.
Using a Budget helps organize the process and keep track of the myriad of financing options. It is actually odd that students apply for loans to learn how to learn. The fact is that getting big loans and many of them are not learning properly. Learning properly means figuring out how much is reasonable debt, debt that can be handled post-graduation.
You don’t get loans to go and learn how to do well. You figure out how much you make and how much disposable income you will likely have to pay down the loans. You must also make some predictions because you’re not making much money while at school and there are no guarantees that you will start off with a great paying job.
Before choose your career, check out the job prospect and pay. Remember to consider you will start your career possibly earning a lower rate than the average based on your non-experience in the field. That would mean less ability to pay off loans.
There are some tips and questions you can address while planning for your education:
- Do you need to go to an expensive college/university?
- Should there be a new concept of how to figure out where to go rather than the school’s rating?
- If I get loans, what’s the best way to pay them off in a reasonable manner?
- What do I need to qualify for a half or full scholarship?
- How much their parents will contribute?
- How much will scholarships, grants and bursaries make up of the financing?
- How much income from jobs will there be?
- How much will it cost if moving to another city to get schooling?
Although there are flexibilities when it comes to student loans, based on their almost non-existent financial history, caution is needed.
Once the requirements are met, most students don’t have experience managing certain amounts of money and the possibility to get regular loans may appeal to them for a different purpose rather than the education. Getting a part-time job helps to balance some expenses. Knowing how to spend and control your bills also leads to good use of your cash, live frugally. It’s wise to create a debt pay-off during your college years to prepare your finances once you enter in the job market.
Further education actually takes a lot of planning. Don’t just expect to get loans, graduate, get a good job, pay down the loans easily.
Be smart, plan ahead.
Review:KJ/DB