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Is there anything similar to the military that pays for school?

Avocado

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I'd like to get a masters in social work, but there is no way I could ever pay for it. I'm disqualified from the military, which sucks, since that was maybe the first career I've ever felt any excitement about. I'm now tepidly leaning towards school social work (it sounds easy, pays alright, and doesn't seem to focus on my area of disability). Is there anything else that would pay for a MSW? I really don't want to take out a loan!
 

Tellenbach

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I think I read that the entire state of New York is offering free higher education to everyone. Not sure about graduate level degrees though.
 

Forever

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Loans...?

Get an online degree?
 

thepink-cloakedninja

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I'd like to get a masters in social work, but there is no way I could ever pay for it. I'm disqualified from the military, which sucks, since that was maybe the first career I've ever felt any excitement about. I'm now tepidly leaning towards school social work (it sounds easy, pays alright, and doesn't seem to focus on my area of disability). Is there anything else that would pay for a MSW? I really don't want to take out a loan!

Hmm, in my humble opinion, it might be a good idea to research some more careers first. You don't seem particularly passionate about social work, and I've heard from various professors that social work can be rewarding but that's it a lot of work and very demanding (and that it doesn't pay well). A "burnt out" social worker is common place because some social workers just get so involved in the lives of the people they're involved with that they can't take care of themselves and just have to leave the field entirely.
And just from some cursory googling, it looks like you might need more than just a master's degree?
An MSW represents a crucial step towards a rewarding career in social work — but the work does not end there. In addition to the master’s degree, job candidates must complete at least two years of post-graduate employment in order to qualify for most social work positions. Additionally, all 50 states have specific licensure and/or certification requirements for most clinical and nonclinical social workers. The top-ranked online MSW programs help students prepare for these post-education demands through career counseling, one-on-one advisor meetings, and other support services and resources.
Retrieved from: The 25 Best Online MSW Programs of 2017 | BestColleges.com



Also, have you talked to any career advisors about your humanities degree? Surely there must be something you can do with it to help you pay for a master's degree?

I haven't looked much into master's degrees for social work, but I have checked out some online master's programs in dietetics/nutrition science and there were some with 6 - 7k tuition. If you worked at the same time, you could pay for that out of pocket easy peasy no problem.
 

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Before you spend any money in school (especially a psych/social work field) volunteer with a local or state program. You don't need a degree and it will give you an idea of how the system works. Plus, you will be working next to people who have gone through schooling and they are usually excellent at giving suggestions for cutting expenses.

Always try to volunteer or apprentice in the field you wish to work before paying for an education in it. Some jobs do cover training and education expenses.
 

thepink-cloakedninja

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Okay here, I actually have some legitimate answers to your question, now.

If you work certain positions at certain hospitals, they'll pay for your degree in health and science related fields. I have some classmates taking advantage of this, and my former manager is a receptionist at I think St. Luke's??? and is getting free college, as well. I think they just pay for bachelor's degrees, but you could transfer your generals and electives from your humanities degree, and perhaps get an in-demand degree in the health and sciences field in perhaps 2 years? It would look pretty nice on your resume to have a double major and two years of work experience at a hospital. Just sayin.

If you work certain positions at certain colleges they might give you free college there (which includes a master's degree) or something like $10 a credit (so I've heard). My brother in law is a student advisor at a college, and is getting a free master's degree so maybe you could look into something like that?

There are also other employers who will pay for a master's degree after you've worked there long enough, but those are usually upper-level jobs, I think.

Starbucks will pay for the last two years of your degree through ASU's online program. You could transfer your generals and the like from your humanities degree and get a free bachelor's in social work.

If you join AmeriCorps they'll give you like (if I'm remembering correctly) 5k directly towards your degree (but that might not include a master's degree).
 

Avocado

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Hmm, in my humble opinion, it might be a good idea to research some more careers first. You don't seem particularly passionate about social work, and I've heard from various professors that social work can be rewarding but that's it a lot of work and very demanding (and that it doesn't pay well). A "burnt out" social worker is common place because some social workers just get so involved in the lives of the people they're involved with that they can't take care of themselves and just have to leave the field entirely.
And just from some cursory googling, it looks like you might need more than just a master's degree?

Retrieved from: The 25 Best Online MSW Programs of 2017 | BestColleges.com



Also, have you talked to any career advisors about your humanities degree? Surely there must be something you can do with it to help you pay for a master's degree?

I haven't looked much into master's degrees for social work, but I have checked out some online master's programs in dietetics/nutrition science and there were some with 6 - 7k tuition. If you worked at the same time, you could pay for that out of pocket easy peasy no problem.

If I combine my pharm tech certification from high school with this humanities degree, it opens up a few options:

I could become a lobbyist for the pharmacy and make 120k a year starting out
I could become a drug representative and start out making 120k a year
I could become a VA pharmacy tech and make $18 an hour

None of those things sound appealing. I am cursed with ADHD, Depression, High-Functioning Autism, Anxiety, endless hiccups, and bad joints. All of these together are 50% disabling according to the social security office, and in order to get my $400, I cannot make over $1170 a month, which is a starvation wage. I try to be frugal with my money, but my empathy overcomes my rationality, sometimes and I make stupid decisions. The other day, there was a homeless guy who came up and got in my car and demanded I drive him to walmart. I thought that a man so desperate to get places he jumps in people's cars must be in a bad situation. I bought him a bicycle and told him that I hope things get better for him. I looked back later and realized I really didn't have the money to do that, and now I'm further behind. I just see people in trouble and start helping. I can't help myself.

I'd rather be a rich philanthropist than a social worker since I feel the red tape social workers have to deal with hurts people.
 

thepink-cloakedninja

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If I combine my pharm tech certification from high school with this humanities degree, it opens up a few options:

I could become a lobbyist for the pharmacy and make 120k a year starting out
I could become a drug representative and start out making 120k a year
I could become a VA pharmacy tech and make $18 an hour

None of those things sound appealing. I am cursed with ADHD, Depression, High-Functioning Autism, Anxiety, endless hiccups, and bad joints. All of these together are 50% disabling according to the social security office, and in order to get my $400, I cannot make over $1170 a month, which is a starvation wage. I try to be frugal with my money, but my empathy overcomes my rationality, sometimes and I make stupid decisions. The other day, there was a homeless guy who came up and got in my car and demanded I drive him to walmart. I thought that a man so desperate to get places he jumps in people's cars must be in a bad situation. I bought him a bicycle and told him that I hope things get better for him. I looked back later and realized I really didn't have the money to do that, and now I'm further behind. I just see people in trouble and start helping. I can't help myself.

I'd rather be a rich philanthropist than a social worker since I feel the red tape social workers have to deal with hurts people.

Well, could you do any of those and use them to get a master's degree in something you're passionate about? And do you really need disability if you have those other options? Like, I don't know your situation, but don't let your conditions hold you back more than they should. :) Also, I'm a tad bit impressed you went through college with all of those.

Wanting to help people is an admirable quality. There are lots of ways you could do that, I think.
 

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Well, could you do any of those and use them to get a master's degree in something you're passionate about? And do you really need disability if you have those other options? Like, I don't know your situation, but don't let your conditions hold you back more than they should. :) Also, I'm a tad bit impressed you went through college with all of those.

Wanting to help people is an admirable quality. There are lots of ways you could do that, I think.
He called me back today from a toll phone, wanting to have lunch with me, today. He said the bike had a flat tire, and now I'm starting to wonder if he is being entirely truthful with me. I'll ask more about it next time I see him. He hangs around the area.
 

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He called me back today from a toll phone, wanting to have lunch with me, today. He said the bike had a flat tire, and now I'm starting to wonder if he is being entirely truthful with me. I'll ask more about it next time I see him. He hangs around the area.

That's super cool that you two are going to have lunch! LOL yes, well you could always ask to see the bike.
 

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The Wailing Specter said:
He said the bike had a flat tire, and now I'm starting to wonder if he is being entirely truthful with me. I'll ask more about it next time I see him. He hangs around the area.

This is probably a bad idea; I'd recommend against seeing him in private. He probably wants to rob you and use the money for drugs. I doubt he still has the bike.
 

SurrealisticSlumbers

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This is probably a bad idea; I'd recommend against seeing him in private. He probably wants to rob you and use the money for drugs. I doubt he still has the bike.

OP, please follow the advice that people are giving you here. If you're gonna meet up with this guy again, make it in a public place in broad daylight. It's terrible how autistic people are victimized in today's society...
 

kyuuei

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Lots of options for civilians.

- Get a job that offers education incentives. Lots of programs do this, like IT, Hospitals, and Government jobs.
- Apprenticeships and internships. For many industries like movie making, school is a formality that can be totall bypassed with good networking skills and the willingness to work your ass off.
- Certifications. Other industries, like welding, plumbing, etc. may only require small certifications to get started and don't require a full on degree. EMS people only need a cert qualifier, as do nutritionists and personal trainers (and even then... you don't NEED a formal degree, but it does look good.) and the like.
- Trial by fire. Chefs have formal education that can run you lots of money.. but you can also start off cooking from the bottom and work your way up. With things like food trucks becoming popular, you can potentially land a gig in an industry like this. Acting and musicals is the same way, you can really just audition your ass off. You might not get to the top tiers this way, but you can certainly get started. Computers can be the same way, you can learn a lot without any formal education just by working with them and fucking up a lot.
- This-for-that things. A lot of workforce solutions offices will offer exchanges similar to the military.. you don't 'just' serve and get free stuff. You have to serve a certain amount of time. Teachers can get free education in exchange for agreeing to teach in some of the worst areas of a city for a while. While some of these things are really hard, but that's sort of the point: nothing is truly free.
- Move to a place with free education opportunities. University of Houston, NY, etc. are all offering free education.. if you're willing to live the state/city for the near foreseeable future. You can at least get a bachelor's degree. Whole countries, like Germany, offer this as well.

As far as a masters.. unless you're working in education, there's really no need for it. I think a lot of people use school as a sort of limbo... like.. they aren't willing/ready to work in the industry, but want to pursue it anyways. You can ALWAYS find ways of getting into your field outside of a 4 year degree.. and work on the degree as you go along. For example, a lot of older nurses started out as LPNs. They got certs to do pretty much everything a regular RN does, or transitioned practice easily into RN position, without a 4 year degree at all. I did a program where my bachelor's was earned in 1 1/2 years only.. a far cry from a 4 year degree.
 

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thepink-cloakedninja said:
Hey now, don't stereotype the homeless!

Stranger danger. Always assume the worse of strange people; it's just common sense.
 

Agent Washington

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He called me back today from a toll phone, wanting to have lunch with me, today. He said the bike had a flat tire, and now I'm starting to wonder if he is being entirely truthful with me. I'll ask more about it next time I see him. He hangs around the area.

...I... think... It's... a bad ... idea ...to meet him...

...Especially since you seem to lack healthy boundaries. It's not a matter of compassion. It's a matter of having appropriate self-protection.
 

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He may not even be homeless for all we know. He already gave him the bike, so he has already helped him enough.

Yes. That is the most generous I've ever been. He came in the pharmacy where I was and he said he hit a curb and busted off the tire, and needed 16 dollars to fix it. It hurts me to say no, but I turned him down this time, and he threw a fit. All I can say is he should have been more careful.
 

thepink-cloakedninja

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Stranger danger. Always assume the worse of strange people; it's just common sense.

Street smarts are invaluable, but you can keep yourself safe without harboring harmful stereotypes towards the disadvantaged. You can refuse to meet someone for lunch without labeling said person as a robber and a drug addict just because they're homeless.

He may not even be homeless for all we know. He already gave him the bike, so he has already helped him enough.

Yes.
 
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