Back-to-school advice?

I left my newspaper job about two months ago, initially hoping to find a new career path outside the industry. Finding such an opportunity has proven much harder than I expected, and the only feedback I've gotten are for a few newspaper jobs that piqued my interest. But, like most newspaper gigs these days, they're tenuous. In any case, if nothing breaks for me soon on the job front, I'll be out of money and pretty much out of options. So, looking ahead to that scenario, I was thinking of going back to school. I'd obviously need a loan. However, I never used school loans when I was younger, so I'm wondering if anyone around here can tell me what options I have as far as securing loans or grants to return to school. This would be for my undergraduate degree. Work and marriage and responsibilities and such got in the way of me finishing my bachelors about a decade ago. I was going to school for journalism, but I'd like to get an online/Web-related degree. I'm guessing some of the core classes I took years ago would still apply to any new degree I pursue so that I wouldn't have to spend too many years finishing a course of study. But, again, the key is financing. So, if anyone can help point me in the right direction and/or give me some advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

School loans have been traditionally easy to get, but that was before Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac took a dive. I have no idea how hard that's going to be now.

 

FAFSA. That's how you apply for government loans. I don't think they discriminate all that much.

 

Sallie Mae will tell you what credit-report red flags there are, and if you can clean them up enough, you should be able to get a loan.

 

I've owned four houses and a number of cars and never made a late payment. My credit's pretty strong.

 

The consolidation rate for loans is the lowest in about 40 years.

Many courses are "binding" for a period of seven or eight years.

 

What does that mean?

And what's FAFSA?

 

Google it. It's the form you have to fill out to get financial aid.

 

www.fafsa.ed.gov

It's the official application to apply for federal student loans and grants. Depending on how much money you make, it will determine how much you can receive in student loans and grants. If you and your wife don't make that much, you could get grants, which of course, you don't have to pay back.

 

It means if you took macroeconomics five years ago before quitting school, and passed the course, there's a fair chance you wouldn't have to repeat it. If it was a period of 10 or 20 years ago, you're most probably fucked.

 

Got ya, LJB. It was a while ago, so maybe I'd have to start over.

 

On the first day of school, find the biggest, meanest, ugliest kid and beat the shit out of him. Then the other kids won't mess with you.