I currently working full time and completing a post-bacc part time to finish my pre-requisites. It has been difficult but I managed to finish last semester with a 3.6 gpa. I will have one year left of Physics and A&P after this semester and from what I hear the classes are just going to get more demanding. My issue here is that although my job allows me to pay the bills and have the flexibility to take classes, it is a dead end job, I hate it with a passion, and Im not gaining any relevant health care experience. I have one year of the post 911 GI bill left and Im seriously considering using it next year to finish my pre-requisites and focusing on gaining my observation hours however; If I can just suck it up, I could use this last year of GI bill to cover the cost of living and tuition for a year of PT school which would be amazing. I feel it would be much easier to justify staying at my job if I was utilizing my undergraduate education which is a B.S in Finance, but Im not, and Im really just earning enough to get by each month. Every day I come to work Im just angry because of the stagnant work environment and lack of opportunity. Not trying to sound to negative I just want to make the best possible use of my GI bill and ensure I have the best chance possible at getting into a good DPT program. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Breaking point-should I quit my job to finish pre-requisites?
- Thread starter tb1065
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this job is a means to an end. It sounds like you have great work ethic, so I assume you will make it work next semester and do just fine. Sometime we gotta do what we gotta do. Hang on to the job just a little longer and use the GI bill for the first year of pt. If the bill really will cover tuition and living expenses for one year, that would be a lot off of your shoulders. Also less loans that you will need to take out for the remaining years. If you hate that job, try to find another that will still pay the bills. If I had the GI bill that would cover my first year, I would scrub toilets if I had to to make ends meet for my last year of undergrad.
Great point, I really want to save that last year of GI bill for PT school. My biggest fear is spreading myself too thin and not getting the gpa and observation hours I need to stay competetive....lot to think about
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I have another take on it. How old are you? How much money are you currently making.
I quit my full time job (which I actually liked and was a great career for many years) to finish my pre reqs. It was either that or delay my application to PT school one more year. I sold my car (live in an urban area so that was possible), diverted my retirement to increase my savings for 6 mo., moved into my parents house and did most of my pre reqs at a CC to save money. I have about $14k in debt from the year, I figure that an additional year as a PT making 70K will make up for that debt.
Quitting that job allowed me to focus fully on school which allowed me to take a full time science curriculum without going crazy and getting good enough grades to be accepted into my top schools.
Everyone is different so you have to figure out what you need. I am 31 (was 29 at the time) so I wasn't willing to wait another year to apply, and I had already payed off most of my undergrad debt (Didn't have a lot) since I had been out of school for 9 years. Those factors made it worthwhile to me to go into some debt and completely kill my meager savings. Ultimately what decided it for me was the amount of debt compared to how much I would make as an extra year of being a PT. Since I wasn't making very much money at my job it worked out that quitting my job wasn't going to lose me money in the long run.
With the money you can get you are possibly speeding up your application process without incurring any excess debt. If this will speed up your application, and therefore get you working faster, I'd seriously consider it. I don't subscribe to the "be miserable now so you can have fun with more money later" philosophy. I think it's dangerous because for some people that "later" never comes. Especially if you truly feel at a breaking point as your post is titled. If you're truly miserable and have a responsible way to make yourself happier, go for it. You'll still be in a better financial position then most people coming out of PT school because a lot are going in with loans.
Good luck with your decision.
I quit my full time job (which I actually liked and was a great career for many years) to finish my pre reqs. It was either that or delay my application to PT school one more year. I sold my car (live in an urban area so that was possible), diverted my retirement to increase my savings for 6 mo., moved into my parents house and did most of my pre reqs at a CC to save money. I have about $14k in debt from the year, I figure that an additional year as a PT making 70K will make up for that debt.
Quitting that job allowed me to focus fully on school which allowed me to take a full time science curriculum without going crazy and getting good enough grades to be accepted into my top schools.
Everyone is different so you have to figure out what you need. I am 31 (was 29 at the time) so I wasn't willing to wait another year to apply, and I had already payed off most of my undergrad debt (Didn't have a lot) since I had been out of school for 9 years. Those factors made it worthwhile to me to go into some debt and completely kill my meager savings. Ultimately what decided it for me was the amount of debt compared to how much I would make as an extra year of being a PT. Since I wasn't making very much money at my job it worked out that quitting my job wasn't going to lose me money in the long run.
With the money you can get you are possibly speeding up your application process without incurring any excess debt. If this will speed up your application, and therefore get you working faster, I'd seriously consider it. I don't subscribe to the "be miserable now so you can have fun with more money later" philosophy. I think it's dangerous because for some people that "later" never comes. Especially if you truly feel at a breaking point as your post is titled. If you're truly miserable and have a responsible way to make yourself happier, go for it. You'll still be in a better financial position then most people coming out of PT school because a lot are going in with loans.
Good luck with your decision.
If your gpa is still 3.6 then you are fine. If you are getting observation hours in varied settings you are ok in that front as well. It's a balancing act, but it can be done. Keep your eyes on the prize! A lot of schools will like employment with full time school with observation hours. It shows commitment and good work ethic.
Great argument, I'm currently 30 years old and I make a little over 37K a year, I have a mortgage with my girlfriend which we split 50/50 it is about $450/month each, a small car payment $250/month for 2 more years, and a dog.
I would hate to call my current job a career as I'm not exactly earning a competitive salary or gaining any relevant experience, nor doing anything related to what I had originally gone to school for, and as I had mentioned earlier I just hate the environment here. The big problem with staying any longer is losing my motivation and direction, not having enough exposure to PT to remember why I'm taking these pre-requisites in the first place. I just don't want to lose sight of my goals
