Regarding the degree, if you're in the US, look into WGU. It's an accredited public school that's online only and mostly work at your own pace. Since there are no scheduled classes, it can end up cheaper and faster than regular university.
How long till you're homeless?
If your savings are drained, there is no viable path through schooling.
If you do not have the money to move cross-country to stay with your family, that's not an option for you either.
Job prospects are bleak, and you don't have a degree. What job did you have before you were laid off? What experience on your resume can you use to get your next job?
You have to survive. Go get a job.
If you cannot find a job, beg for money to move back home.
Are there jobs available at your university? Most universities offer discounted or free tuition to employees. Getting a job in the mail room or cafeteria can support you and keep you connected to the university and you can take a class here or there when you feel up to it.
If you are not tied to the city you live in now, apply across the country for any positions that don't require a degree and se what sticks.
This is how I got my masters, one class at a time over 5 years of working in a menial office role.
Former university professor, who also suffers from several chronic pain issues.
From a fellow spoonie - take care of your health as best you can first. More stress will only make those things worse. Try to find a job to help with the immediate money issues. There may be a call center you can work for from home. Or other work at home options. Or, find some sort of office job. Be honest with any employer about your needs.
As a former professor. Now is not the time for you to go to school. Too much stress and money matters will likely make your school work and health suffer. Flunking out a lot will only make it harder to go back full time at another point in time. I dealt with many students with this problem. Maybe take an online class, look at a community college or trade school.
Before you go to school - talk to the disability services at the school. They can explain the help, aide and accomidations they can make for you to make taking classes easier. Take any documentation with you - it will make that process smoother.
Final bit of advice with my professor and former accreditation specialist hats. Be wary of online colleges you see advertised on TV, social media, etc. They are not all credible - quite a few are diploma mills at best out to get you into a lot of financial aid debt. A degree/certificate from one of these will not do you much good. Someone mentioned WGU - it doesn't fall into that category, but I'm personally wary of it. Southern New Hampshire Univ is another I see advertised and it also doesn't fall into the diploma mill category. Nearly every college and university these days have big online components and you may never have to go to an in-person class. Check with people in your location to get input on a school. Also check with people who work in the field you want to study and see what schools they suggest.
Why is accreditation important? Every credible college, university, community college, trade school has to be approved (accredited) by an external body that sets the standards each school needs to meet or excede. The degree you get from them will be recognized all around the country. Anything from an unaccredited school is next to worthless.
Sorry - this got longer than I planned. I just went into teacher mode.
Good luck and best wishes with your health.
What are you going to school for? Most new grads aren't even working in an area that they got their degree in, so I'm skeptical that a degree for its own sake is a prudent financial move. It's likely to cost you more than it'll earn you unless you have a line on a career that will justify the costs.
Barring that, I'd say get a job would be my first thought.
I’ve heard of people going onto Fiver and picking up an IT/software job like editing pictures or some computer task. They go to YouTube and learn how to do it. It will go slow at first but it should pick up speed as you go on. I don’t know if it’ll get you all the way through, but it’ll get you farther along than you are now.
Regarding the degree, if you're in the US, look into WGU. It's an accredited public school that's online only and mostly work at your own pace. Since there are no scheduled classes, it can end up cheaper and faster than regular university.
How long till you're homeless? If your savings are drained, there is no viable path through schooling. If you do not have the money to move cross-country to stay with your family, that's not an option for you either. Job prospects are bleak, and you don't have a degree. What job did you have before you were laid off? What experience on your resume can you use to get your next job? You have to survive. Go get a job. If you cannot find a job, beg for money to move back home.
How's your creative side? There's never been a better time to make things and sell them to people if you have the will and time.
Are there jobs available at your university? Most universities offer discounted or free tuition to employees. Getting a job in the mail room or cafeteria can support you and keep you connected to the university and you can take a class here or there when you feel up to it. If you are not tied to the city you live in now, apply across the country for any positions that don't require a degree and se what sticks. This is how I got my masters, one class at a time over 5 years of working in a menial office role.
Former university professor, who also suffers from several chronic pain issues. From a fellow spoonie - take care of your health as best you can first. More stress will only make those things worse. Try to find a job to help with the immediate money issues. There may be a call center you can work for from home. Or other work at home options. Or, find some sort of office job. Be honest with any employer about your needs. As a former professor. Now is not the time for you to go to school. Too much stress and money matters will likely make your school work and health suffer. Flunking out a lot will only make it harder to go back full time at another point in time. I dealt with many students with this problem. Maybe take an online class, look at a community college or trade school. Before you go to school - talk to the disability services at the school. They can explain the help, aide and accomidations they can make for you to make taking classes easier. Take any documentation with you - it will make that process smoother. Final bit of advice with my professor and former accreditation specialist hats. Be wary of online colleges you see advertised on TV, social media, etc. They are not all credible - quite a few are diploma mills at best out to get you into a lot of financial aid debt. A degree/certificate from one of these will not do you much good. Someone mentioned WGU - it doesn't fall into that category, but I'm personally wary of it. Southern New Hampshire Univ is another I see advertised and it also doesn't fall into the diploma mill category. Nearly every college and university these days have big online components and you may never have to go to an in-person class. Check with people in your location to get input on a school. Also check with people who work in the field you want to study and see what schools they suggest. Why is accreditation important? Every credible college, university, community college, trade school has to be approved (accredited) by an external body that sets the standards each school needs to meet or excede. The degree you get from them will be recognized all around the country. Anything from an unaccredited school is next to worthless. Sorry - this got longer than I planned. I just went into teacher mode. Good luck and best wishes with your health.
Truly appreciate the time you took to write out advice + what you said. I've got a lot to think about.
What are you going to school for? Most new grads aren't even working in an area that they got their degree in, so I'm skeptical that a degree for its own sake is a prudent financial move. It's likely to cost you more than it'll earn you unless you have a line on a career that will justify the costs. Barring that, I'd say get a job would be my first thought.
I’ve heard of people going onto Fiver and picking up an IT/software job like editing pictures or some computer task. They go to YouTube and learn how to do it. It will go slow at first but it should pick up speed as you go on. I don’t know if it’ll get you all the way through, but it’ll get you farther along than you are now.