With the cost of college rising every year, students are constantly on the hunt for scholarships and grants to help them with the cost of tuition and books. Sure, you can take out loans, but who wants to be deep in debt when they graduate? Also, many grants and scholarships are aimed at traditional students, not those who are trying to get a degree through distance learning. But, there is another way of raising cash for your education: working for an employer who will pay for you to go to school.
Many companies now offer some type of reimbursement program, as detailed in a previous post, Let Your Employer Pay for College, and the article, Getting Someone Else to Pay for Your Online Education.
Getting your employer to pay for your education sounds like a great idea, but how do you find these sweet gigs? Hopefully, you already work for a company which offers some type of tuition reimbursement. Many of the larger corporations and companies in the U.S. do, as well as federal, state and local government employers.
But what if your company doesn't offer tuition reimbursement? There are a few different possibilities: ask your employer to help with education costs anyway, find a new job in your chosen field which does offer tuition assistance, or work a part-time job which offers tuition benefits to part-time employees.
If you work for a smaller company with few benefits, or one that has benefits but no tuition reimbursement, consider asking for tuition assistance at your next job performance review. You could tell your employer than rather than give you a raise next time, they could reimburse you for the cost of tuition. Point out the benefits of having a more well-trained and knowledgeable worker on their staff. Most employers realize a well-educated worker is worth the investment.
Many employers advertise the fact that they offer tuition reimbursement as part of their benefits package, but not all do. If you are considering a job change, look for an employer which offers tuition reimbursement. A good place to start is Fortune Magazine's annual list of Top 100 Employers to Work For
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2007/
These companies have great perks for their employees, and tuition assistance is often part of the package. Also, be sure to check job search web sites, and include "tuition assistance" in your search terms. This should point you to companies which offer this benefit.
If you're up to taking on a part-time job, there are a number of companies which do offer tuition assistance to part-time employees. Usually, these benefits are used to draw traditional students to come and work for the company, but they could easily be used by non-traditional, distance learning students as well. Just be sure to check the fine print in the employee handbook or talk to the human resources director. There are sometimes stipulations for part-time employees seeking tuition assistance. Students may have to keep their grades above a certain grade-point-average, or go to a particular school, or attend a college with specific accreditation. Part-time employees may also be required to work a certain length of time on the job before being eligible for tuition benefits.
Companies offer these benefits because they are competing for quality employees and they want their employees to get the education and training which will ultimately benefit their business. Take them up on their offer, and you could wind up with a new degree along with a new job!