I think I made a big mistake.

TL;DR - Bits of advice for your situation.

+You can do both, work and school. If this is your plan, you need to consult with an Academic Advisor at your CC. This is IMPERATIVE because you need to make sure you understand the academic plan for the degree you are interested in so you don't waste time. I suggest, in conjunction with speaking with your advisor, you also talk with an admissions counselor at the university that you are interested in. If you choose to do both, i.e. you are going to work full time, limit your classes and take 2 (like a M/W and a T/Th) Source: I went to a CC and if I could give my past self advice it would be to nag and be on a first name basis with my advisors.

+Talk with your HR department about a "TUITION REIMBURSEMENT" program. If your company does this, you will get money back at the end of the semester. It may not be all, but it may be some. Source: I worked at LEGOLAND when I was going to CC and they pay 50% back up to 4,000$ (at least they did at the time I was there).

+Online courses are going to be your friend. Source: Did my "class" work in Las Vegas while waiting to see some show.

+Get creative in finding solutions that fit. Source: I found a job that took me to Antarctica for a year. My room and board was taken care of and my pay was all take home. (At the time I was going to Ashford. I do not recommend Ashford, but the availability of online courses allowed for me to be out of the country and still go to school.) At the end of my year, I was debt free...

+...A little debt is going to be okay. Just make sure that you have budget. And a strategic plan. (Maybe now would be a good time to mention, maybe just take one class this first go around, see how you feel). Maybe this would be a good time, also, to just ask your parents for some type of help - like paying for books (so like not full tuition but helping you out in some way). I used a spreadsheet. Don't ask to look at it because you would get lost, but I was religious with it.

+Scholarships. www.unigo.com is one of my favorites. Start doing every scholarship thing you can. One entry was to write tweet (you didn't even have to have twitter but it was answer the question and what would be your tweet response). There are other sites... I suggest, creating a new email and when you start doing all the scholarship stuff use that email... It may be easier to keep track of what you have done.

+Don't be afraid to start a sob story go fund me. Source: My BFF did this and was able to supplement a semester when he was laid off base on donations a lone. Those 20$ one off really helped.

Don't back out now. Just find that one person at your school that is going to help you understand word for word your plans and expectations.

/r/college Thread