Got2Gab.com

I’m sitting here thinking to myself, I realize that at this juncture in our national and international economy, I don’t know of even one family who is not struggling with money problems.

In the past, many people were interested in getting the best of everything to keep up with the Jones’.  But, since the economy has taken a dive, most of those people have changed with the times and are no longer interested in getting the latest bag, shoes, or outfit. Most people just want to be able to pay their rent or house payments, as well as being able to afford to pay all their other bills.

Something I was never told, which I wish I was, is that we should choose our college majors very carefully.  Know what you’re interested in, of coarse, but also look up what jobs are the most sought after, and how much money they actually stand to make. It may make you think twice before choosing the career path you loved, if you realize that there aren’t any jobs of that type out there, or that they make very little money.

One great example of this is - I have a good friend whom I’ve known since childhood and she got her Master’s degree in something that she was interested in, but hadn’t studied what her career would be like or if she could even get a job once she’d graduated. It took her the longest time to find a job and she eventuially had to get a job in a car dealership or all places.  She is now considering going back to school to become a Nurse, as several of her family members are, and listen to the adice her mother gave her years ago.

It’s a shame that after all the money spent on schooling, all the time wasted on a career path she isn’t using, and the lack of money she is experiencing (which forced her to work in a car dealership), she is now trying to reconfigure her life and go into the medical field.

I too did somewhat of the same thing. I went to culinary school and graduated, worked in the field for several years, went back to school to get my ECE teaching credentials, worked in that field for several years, and then became a stay at home Mom.  Now, if I get the chance to go back to school, I will probably also go for something in the medical field, since it’s so highly sought after and it pays really well.   I can’t fathom what I could be able to save, if I make the kind of money I think I can make with this new chosen career.

I guess as we age, we evolve, we learn, we experience, but I wish someone had told me just what I’m telling you now.

So, before you think of returning back to school for something you love, without researching the kind of pay you are to expect, or finding out if there even is a job market for that career; look up the highest paying jobs, decide if you can do them, find a college that is nearby that can give you the degree or certification you desire and then go from there. You’ll have come up with a much more reasonable idea of what you should do that way.  So, think twice when deciding what career path you wish to follow.

As everyone is muddling through our national deficit as well as our deficit globally, we must all keep in mind what our priorities should be.  As well as providing for ourselves and our families, we need to be sure we can cover paying all our bills, as well as spending money on going out to do fun things, but we must all remember that it’s a huge priority to also save money.

Most people don’t even plan for saving money.  If they have $300 left over from their checks at the end of the month (that hasn’t been spent on bills), they figure it’s time to shop until they drop.  But, that is a horrible way to look at things.

If you’re in NEED of something (and I stress the word need, not want), put aside a little of the money you have left over for that item and don’t go over it.  If you still need more money or didn’t have enough to make that purchase, keep that money put aside and wait until you receive your next check. This is an important tip to keep you focused, as well as making you have the time to think things through and not purchase on impulse.

The amount of money that you make has nothing to do with the amount of money that you save.  I know of a man who works a minimum wage job, pays all his bills, eats out frequently (at reasonably priced places) and was able to save about $10,000 in a very short amount of time.  He has this money put aside just incase he needs it in the future, but in the meanwhile, he is continuing to save as much as he can.

He had previously saved enough to be able to purchase a pre-owned, but still pretty new vehicle for cash.  So, not only does he have a nice place to live, dresses pretty well, has a newer vehicle, is eating out at least 5 times a week, but he also has that $10,000 saved up.

Of coarse you are probably telling yourself that yah well, he’s saving that much because he doesn’t have a family to feed, or something like that.  But, the fact of the matter is- no matter how many kids you have or responsibilities you have, many people do things because they want it, verses needing it.

Did you really need to purchase that vehicle that is costing you hundreds of dollars each month to pay for? Not to mention the price of gas and insurance that the vehicle demands?  Did you really need to purchase a house for your family (specifically as a status symbol) or could you have rented for less?  Did you really need to go on a shopping spree and spend hundreds of dollars, at a time, purchasing clothes to make yourself feel better?

All these things undoubtedly made you feel better for a short amount of time, but in the end, wouldn’t the amount of cash you spent on those items, feel better to you, if they were sitting quietly in the bank, untouched?

When I went to college, I knew a guy who was always in a rush and would drop by a famous coffee shop for their almost $5 a cup coffee, and a pumpkin scone. He’d leave after spending nearly $10 a day/5 days a week. And it quickly added up! That’s $200 a month spent, without even thinking about it!  Over a year, that’s $2,400 that could have been spent much more wisely, than the things he decided to purchase…  $2,400 that could have went towards his college degree, towards a new car, towards a new wardrobe, towards rent, or what have you.

I beg of you to think twice before making any big purchases, and think before  spending on your little purchases (day in and day out).  Because every little penny you spend, adds up.

Back in the old days, when there was no such thing as the internet, people used to go for hours on end, on a campus, to complete the tedious work involved in getting a college degree.

In fact, decades ago, even before that, it was a huge feat to have gotten a high school degree.  Then years later, a high school diploma alone was obsolete.

At that point, having an associates degree was something to strive for.  Then once enough people caught on and attained that goal, the bachelor’s degree became something that was highly sought after.

Since that time, the bachelor’s degree has been accomplished by many people, so now it is a common thing to have a bachelor’s degree, it’s no longer as important as it once was.

It seems like the tide is changing, yet again, and now the Master’s degree and Doctorate degree are something to strive for.

How easily we forget the past.  And all the experiences of generations long ago. But, with the coming of age, and the wave of the future, we must change with the times.

So, now that we’ve gone through all that, lets discuss what options we have.  Once you’ve decided what kind of degree you are planning on getting, how much you’re willing to spend, and how far from home you’re willing to travel, it’s time to decide HOW you wish to attain your degree.

Do you:

• wish to get your degree through traditional, on campus, methods?
• wish to be a self starter, and take online classes to achieve your degree and fit schooling into your busy schedule?
• or take classes called credit by exam (which usually involves prepping for the tests by studying clip notes, paying the minimal fee for the test, and going to a campus and taking it. If you pass, then you don’t have to take the actual class which would have required weeks of hard work and dedication.)

I personally have done the first two, but I intend on getting to the third option, shortly.

Going to college campus when I was fresh out of high school, was an awesome experience for me, I learned a lot about myself, came out of my shell, to some degree and felt all the better for it.

Once I had graduated with my degree, worked in the field for years and then decided to go back to school, I decided I wanted to go online.  I was working full time, taking care of the usual responsibilities, as well as attending an online college.  It worked perfectly for me, because I studied when I fit it into my schedule and found the time.

I plan on going back to college, as soon as I can. As for right now, I’m searching for colleges that offer accredited online college degrees, that are affordable, prestigious and offer the degree that suits me.

Mind you, it may be quite hard to juggle writing articles for this site, my family life, writing my novels, and the usual stuff on top of getting an education, but what are the alternatives?

Shall I sit by and watch as everyone else gets a better job, gets paid more, lives better, while I whine and complain that I never got around to advancing myself?

No, for me- learning is living. You don’t stop learning until you’re dead.  So, in order to advance myself and my family (along with me), I must continue to pursue my education, and you should too!

When most people are trying to decide what career they want to pursue and figure out what to enroll for in college, they usually try to pick something their parents have encouraged them to sign up for, or something that they’re passionate about.
There’s no harm in picking a subject that you really like and going with it, but I suggest doing a fair amount of research beforehand.  Will the career path that you are ready to enter be worth it in the end?

You need to find out the answers to questions like:

• how many years will it take for me to complete this degree?
• how much money should I expect to be making once I graduate?
• are the jobs in this field readily available (wherever I choose to live)?
• what kind of mental or physical requirements do I need to prepare for in advance?
• what kind of future job growth can I expect?

and so on…

The thing is, it’s all fine and well to pursue something you love, but if you love more than one career path (like I did), I suggest you weigh out your options and pick which one will fit nicely into your future life plan.

I was interested in the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management career as well as: English & Writing, Psychology, Teaching, Art, etc. I eventually decided on Culinary Arts at the time, but looking back I think choosing English & Writing would have better suited me for the future path I wish to take.

It was a learning experience of coarse, where I went through a bit of a metomorphasis including my mind, body and spirit.  After completing my degree I felt all the better for it, and became self-confident in my own skills from what I had learned.

After years of experience, I realized that the physically and mental strain for this career path, were just not in line with what I thought I’d signed up for.  In fact, I wished I had pursued a different degree because it paid a lot more, was more prestigious, and required less physical and mental strain on me.

But, once you have chosen a career, and gone through the long hours of studying, getting your degree, working in the field, if you decide after a while that you are no longer satisfied with the decision you’ve made, you can always reevaluate your decision and go back to school, as I did.

There are more and more college’s offering online education, which makes it a lot more flexible for those of us who work and have children.  There is no longer a need to sit in classes for hours on end, and try to juggle the day to day tasks, as well as sitting through hours of mind-numbing lectures.  Online classes are now available and more and more degrees are being offered in this format.

Above all else, if you’re not sure what career path you want to choose, do some research about the most saught after careers out there, as well as highest paying careers, how many years it will take you to get this degree, as well as how much money you will need to invest in getting the degree.  All this research will be well worth the effort, if you find something you love to do that satisfies you completely and fills up your bank account.

Since almost everyone is suffering without much money nowadays, most people think vacationing is not possible. When in fact, they can take a mini-vacation and enjoy themselves just as much as a lavish expensive vacation would have been.  But, they can have a vacation on a budget.

They can call friends or family members that are within a few hours drive of them, pack lightly, and drive to that destination.  They can tell the people they are going to be visiting in advance and ask them to look up fun things to do in their area that may be free or very cheap. They may take you to parks, camping areas, fishing, boating, kayaking, or just to see beautiful trails and the sites.

Set a daily budget for your trip and try your best to stick to that number.  If you can only afford $50 a day (excluding gas) you may decide that you can’t afford to eat out and go to all the different costly amusement places.  So, you may decide to purchase groceries and make sandwiches, take it along with you, and then go to amusement parks. It’s really how you look at things and decide to tweak your plans to fit your budget.

The idea of a vacation is to get out, breathe in the fresh air and be out of your usual day to day grind.  Of coarse if you have more money to spend you can go to more expensive places including (but not limited to): amusement parks, aquariums, zoos, restaurants, museums, historical areas, etc. These places charge a costly fee per person, so you may have to take turns going to pricey places on certain days and inexpensive or free places on other days.

The point is, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Just do things that you and your family find fun, and don’t worry about impressing anyone with tales of being on the open waters of the Bahama’s (on your vacation).  Sometimes the simple mini-vacations can mean a lot more to you and your family than being on a big vacation abroad could have been.  Becuse you can do things together as a family unit, and grow closer over the long drive and time together doing the simple things…