Student loans are a huge career setback. This is how I got ahead...

There are many ways to establish funding for tuition. Some are lucky enough to have a college fund already established by their parents. Many apply for scholarships and federal aid. Others join the military to receive college funding, which is the route I chose and am very thankful for.

When it comes to scholarships the best thing I can recommend is apply, apply, and apply for everything. It may be worth it in the long run if you spend your summer writing the essays and searching for scholarships to apply for. One scholarship I recommend applying for is FASFA. Whether your tuition is covered or not FASFA usually grants some extra money to help out. There’s no such thing of a scholarship being too big or too small. I would have to say at this point everything is worth a try.

Joining the military to receive a full ride scholarship may be perfect for you. Everyone has different opinions on how they want to spend their time and money. If you haven’t always done well in school and don’t have much saved up then I recommend taking the military route. While you are on active duty you will be receiving a paycheck for your work and will be granted the opportunity to attend classes after your work day for free. If you don’t enjoy the military and are wanting to get out after completion of your first contract you are authorized to do so and you will still receive a full ride scholarship at any university. Why do I recommend this route? It’s simple. You are able to have a full time job making good money while taking courses for free on your off time. Keep in mind, you don’t have to take any courses while you’re on active duty, you can wait until you get out and have your four years of college still payed for. Let’s say you get out after four years, you’ll have great potential. You should have plenty of money saved up, a knowledgeable trade you learned in the military, and four years of college tuition payed for. What more can you ask for? Yes, this process may take around two years longer than if you were to go to school full time. However, the money you have accumulated and the free tuition and job experience pays off for those extra two years if you ask me.