A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

[Brandwin]

Alright OS family, it's been a while since I have needed real advice on something, but an opportunity was offered to me and my family today and not sure if I should do it or not.

My In-Laws offered us a chance to move in with them so I can quit my job and go back to school full time and I would just work a few hours at a part time job.

Pretty much everything about the opportunity is a positive, except moving out and not having my own place. But I am 32 and have been moved out for years.

I dunno too much!

[Matt10]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

That is pretty awesome gesture of them. What is it you're going back to school for? The reason I ask is because I work full time and go to school online full time.

I'd love to be job-free though

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

It really boils down to how well YOU get along with your in laws. Me personally, I would rather die then move in, hell even SPEND THE NIGHT with my in laws. Then you have to think about storage costs, because clearly not everything you have in your house will be able to fit their house.

[Chrisksaint]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

If you can handle all the things that would come in with moving in with them then I would seriously consider it. It's not often you get a chance to return to school the older you get it seems.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

If you can handle all the things that would come in with moving in with them then I would seriously consider it. It's not often you get a chance to return to school the older you get it seems.

It is pretty often to be honest. Most adults however just don't like telling people they are back in school in their 30s and 40s. It is a pride thing I guess, but I have always known a good amount of 30s and 40s people who went back to school. Hell Devry University student body is mostly 30s and 40s.

[mgoblue]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

Alright OS family, it's been a while since I have needed real advice on something, but an opportunity was offered to me and my family today and not sure if I should do it or not.

My In-Laws offered us a chance to move in with them so I can quit my job and go back to school full time and I would just work a few hours at a part time job.

Pretty much everything about the opportunity is a positive, except moving out and not having my own place. But I am 32 and have been moved out for years.

I dunno too much!

I'd like to know what you're going to school for, but sounds like a great opportunity to improve yourself.

Assuming you get along with the in-laws pretty well then it might be worth the negatives.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

A few thoughts, some of which have been touched on previously:

What is your relationship with your inlaws? Even if it's a pretty good relationship, it's going to be strained if you live with them. It would probably be a positive to the rest of your family, but if you and them are going to butt heads, it's not a great idea.

What is your current level of education, and does a further degree give you more financial leverage? If you've got a bachelor's, a masters may not be as big a bump as you might think, but if you are a HS graduate, a bachelor's can make a pretty decent difference.

What degree would you get? Some degrees are more valued in today's market. Business, science, etc. are more valuable than English, Political Science, etc. With the amount of money you'd be paying to get a degree, make sure that it's a good choice both for you mentally and financially. I would never suggest for someone to get a degree they aren't passionate about, but would make them a lot of money, but I would also not suggest someone to get a degree they are passionate about but will not help towards a good job. Other people have different POVs on this, and this is mine.

I think from previous posts and conversations that you have a daughter. Does moving put her in a different school? Moving is always hard for kids, especially when it means they have to break with friends and have to be in a brand new place with brand new people.

Obviously, this may not all apply, but if they do, they're good things to think about and meditate on.

It's a big decision, and I understand your reluctance to pick one quickly, and I respect you for your thoughtfulness.

[Brandwin]

A few thoughts, some of which have been touched on previously:

What is your relationship with your inlaws? Even if it's a pretty good relationship, it's going to be strained if you live with them. It would probably be a positive to the rest of your family, but if you and them are going to butt heads, it's not a great idea.

What is your current level of education, and does a further degree give you more financial leverage? If you've got a bachelor's, a masters may not be as big a bump as you might think, but if you are a HS graduate, a bachelor's can make a pretty decent difference.

What degree would you get? Some degrees are more valued in today's market. Business, science, etc. are more valuable than English, Political Science, etc. With the amount of money you'd be paying to get a degree, make sure that it's a good choice both for you mentally and financially. I would never suggest for someone to get a degree they aren't passionate about, but would make them a lot of money, but I would also not suggest someone to get a degree they are passionate about but will not help towards a good job. Other people have different POVs on this, and this is mine.

I think from previous posts and conversations that you have a daughter. Does moving put her in a different school? Moving is always hard for kids, especially when it means they have to break with friends and have to be in a brand new place with brand new people.

Obviously, this may not all apply, but if they do, they're good things to think about and meditate on.

It's a big decision, and I understand your reluctance to pick one quickly, and I respect you for your thoughtfulness.

I have a great relationship with my in-laws. I am afraid though that patience may run thin living there and being around them 24-7.

No bachelors here.

Not sure on my degree yet.

I do have a daughter and a son. Both would still have their own rooms as there are three available. Daughter would not have to change school.

Right now I am leaning towards no. But I am considering it. Just don't know if I could take being around people all the time. They also have a lot of people in and out of their house. Plus I would feel like they would be raising my children... But on the other hand, unless come across some money that can allow my to quit working and focus on school full time this may be my only opportunity. I am not getting any younger.

Other option wife and I have talked about before. She gets her Masters and possibly PHD. Once she gets a better position she would probably make enough for me to quit my full time and only work part time hours.

[Jr.]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

Just chiming in on the school options. I would suggest staying away from online universities. I worked for a for-profit university (Ashford) and it's a terrible school and the degree isn't worth anything. This is pretty similar for Phoenix, DeVry, Strayer, National American, and other purely for-profit schools.

As for your wife going for her MA and PhD, that's a long process, unless she's going to look for a program where she can get both. It's going to put a lot of financial stress due to student loans, but her earning potential will likely be much greater than if both of you have bachelor degrees (obviously depending on what the degrees are in).

I'm a huge supporter of furthering your education though, and you may not get a better opportunity to get your degree than this one.

[Matt10]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

Just chiming in on the school options. I would suggest staying away from online universities. I worked for a for-profit university (Ashford) and it's a terrible school and the degree isn't worth anything. This is pretty similar for Phoenix, DeVry, Strayer, National American, and other purely for-profit schools.

As for your wife going for her MA and PhD, that's a long process, unless she's going to look for a program where she can get both. It's going to put a lot of financial stress due to student loans, but her earning potential will likely be much greater than if both of you have bachelor degrees (obviously depending on what the degrees are in).

I'm a huge supporter of furthering your education though, and you may not get a better opportunity to get your degree than this one.

B- I can appreciate your input considering your history, and always enjoy reading your posts. With that said though - I couldn't disagree more with your statement about online, or even for-profit schools. Most of those schools have ground campuses as well as online. You do not have to take online classes. I work at one of them myself, go to school there myself and I have seen students walk across the stage for their graduation - at various ages. I'm sure you have too. I'm just not certain you can group them up in one sentence and call them all the same - and this is coming from someone who has dropped out of one non-profit schools and one for-profit schools. The biggest difference between them, for me personally, was flexibility in my schedule.

[mgoblue]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

A few thoughts, some of which have been touched on previously:

What is your relationship with your inlaws? Even if it's a pretty good relationship, it's going to be strained if you live with them. It would probably be a positive to the rest of your family, but if you and them are going to butt heads, it's not a great idea.

What is your current level of education, and does a further degree give you more financial leverage? If you've got a bachelor's, a masters may not be as big a bump as you might think, but if you are a HS graduate, a bachelor's can make a pretty decent difference.

What degree would you get? Some degrees are more valued in today's market. Business, science, etc. are more valuable than English, Political Science, etc. With the amount of money you'd be paying to get a degree, make sure that it's a good choice both for you mentally and financially. I would never suggest for someone to get a degree they aren't passionate about, but would make them a lot of money, but I would also not suggest someone to get a degree they are passionate about but will not help towards a good job. Other people have different POVs on this, and this is mine.

I think from previous posts and conversations that you have a daughter. Does moving put her in a different school? Moving is always hard for kids, especially when it means they have to break with friends and have to be in a brand new place with brand new people.

Obviously, this may not all apply, but if they do, they're good things to think about and meditate on.

It's a big decision, and I understand your reluctance to pick one quickly, and I respect you for your thoughtfulness.

I agree with Giggas that it will be straining even if you get along with them. I lived with my parents for 4 months after college (and then years later for 2 months when I moved to AZ before they moved elsewhere and I rented their condo) and while we get along awesomely it was a small area to be in with 3 adults (2 bedroom apt style condo, essentially 1 bathroom).

Definitely something to consider, and the upside may override the downside, I don't know.

Another comment: Make sure to get a degree you can make money with! My fiancee has a justice studies type degree and works for the state making peanuts. She needs a masters in Social Work (which we're figuring out how to make happen eventually) in order to get the nicer private industry jobs.

It's important to like what you do for sure, but just consider the income it'll get you as well.

[Jr.]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

B- I can appreciate your input considering your history, and always enjoy reading your posts. With that said though - I couldn't disagree more with your statement about online, or even for-profit schools. Most of those schools have ground campuses as well as online. You do not have to take online classes. I work at one of them myself, go to school there myself and I have seen students walk across the stage for their graduation - at various ages. I'm sure you have too. I'm just not certain you can group them up in one sentence and call them all the same - and this is coming from someone who has dropped out of one non-profit schools and one for-profit schools. The biggest difference between them, for me personally, was flexibility in my schedule.

Well put, and I should have clarified what I meant. I was speaking purely on the online-only classes. Those programs where you can attend class in an actual classroom are definitely a step above. I'm simply going off of the countless stories that I have heard about students taking classes purely online through for-profit institutions.

Lots of it depends on the professor that you get for the online class. I know at Ashford, there were less than 40 full-time professors for the over 90,000 students they have taking online classes.

If I were forced to only take classes online, I would look to go through a state university, but that's just a personal opinion.

Anyway, sorry to bring the thread off-topic a bit.

[justamush]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

I wouldn't move back. No matter how tempting it may seem, you will really miss your space. I would never move in with my parents or my in-laws unless it was the absolutely last resort, and I get along with both of them.

[Brandwin]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

The more I think about it the more I don't think I could move in with them. Who knows if I will change my mind but if I had to choose right now, it would be a no.

With that said, anyone got about $50k I can have?

[Matt10]

Re: A great opportunity - not sure if I should take it though

Well put, and I should have clarified what I meant. I was speaking purely on the online-only classes. Those programs where you can attend class in an actual classroom are definitely a step above. I'm simply going off of the countless stories that I have heard about students taking classes purely online through for-profit institutions.

Lots of it depends on the professor that you get for the online class. I know at Ashford, there were less than 40 full-time professors for the over 90,000 students they have taking online classes.

If I were forced to only take classes online, I would look to go through a state university, but that's just a personal opinion.

Anyway, sorry to bring the thread off-topic a bit.

100% agree, man.

As for me, it'd be tough to move in with my in-laws. Wouldn't it be similar to moving in with your best friends? I'd hate it after 6 months - and someone brought up a good point about them raising your kids, etc.