When You Should NOT Go Back To School As An Adult

Friday, August 17, 2012 Thinking About Going Back To School? Read This First Geraldine Johnson, 64, was an education success story: She went back to college in her early 50s and earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in a career she loved, social work. A disabled Air Force veteran, she used military service benefits to fund her bachelor's degree, and borrowed $60,000 for her master's. She said she wasn't worried about her debt. "When I was in school, the big hype was when you get a graduate degree you could walk into any agency and automatically get $50,000 [starting salary]," Johnson said. Today she is unemployed and living on $1,043 in Social Security benefits each month. Payments on her loans, which are currently in deferral, begin in December, when she turns 65. "That's $400 out of my Social Security," Johnson said. "That'll leave me with nothing." Pitbulls: Landlord Discounts Rent If You Adopt A Dog Boomers Are 'The Most Valuable Generation' For Marketers, Nielsen Report Finds Larry Ekstrom, Michigan Man, Skydives 70 Times On His 70th Birthday For Charity (VIDEO) Elvis Presley Candlelight Vigil: Ex-Wife Priscilla Presley, Daughter Lisa Marie Greet Fans At Graceland All Baby Boomers Should Get Tested For Hepatitis C-CDC BLOG POSTS Deborah Sumner: Fear And Grief: My New Normal My fear is that I lost more than my mom; I lost an ally, a protector, a counselor, and a confidante. Even though she's not physically here, she's still a huge part of who I am. Susan Stiffelman: 6 Ways To Talk To Your Kids' Grandparents About Rules Art Markman, Ph.D.: How Can We Get You to Save for Retirement? Perhaps the biggest source of human misery is the tradeoff between short-term and long-term goals. That is why we eat that piece of cake instead of dieting. It is also why we spend our money now rather than saving for retirement. Tom Davis: Life Is a Beach, and That's the Point Never get too far away from the water; because, when it finally does pull you back -- and it will -- it takes a lot longer to get there. Mache Seibel, MD: Should Your Parents Still Be Driving? Do you have a parent who is getting older? Here are some ways you can assess your parents to decide if you should have the "car key talk" with them, along with some things that can help them be as safe as possible.

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