Posted by fallsfall on October 28, 2005, at 18:21:18
I have been accepted into a graduate Library Science program. I'm pretty excited, and know that I really like working in libraries.
The really good news is that I'm working with the Vocational Rehabilitation center in my state and they are going to help me pay for school. I've been disabled (on SSDI) with depression for 10 years, and this library program will let me change careers to something less stressful. I found out yesterday that they will pay for tuition, fees and books! Pretty cool!
But they won't pay for travel. I chose an online program so that I could continue to work parttime at my library and see my therapist 3/week. Plus I have a daughter who is a senior in high school, so I'm not mobile at the moment. There is one Library school that is (almost) within commuting distance - but it is much more expensive, and I don't like the classes as much as the program I chose. One of the selling points for the program I chose was that, even WITH travel expenses, it is 2/3 the cost of the more local one.
I know that graduate school is a bit more than Voc Rehab usually pays for people. But it IS what I need. I am asking them to help me change careers so that I will be able to work at an occupation that will challenge me and allow me to support myself.
So my Voc Rehab counselor wants me to ask my parents if they can help with the travel expenses. My parents have the money to pay it, and they would probably be happy to do so. But I'm not sure I want to ask them to.
First of all, I'm 48 years old. When am I supposed to start supporting myself?? Second, if I had chosen the local program, they would have willingly paid more money for tuition there. Why should I be penalized because I chose a distance program?
So should I push back and try to get the travel expenses out of Vocational Rehab? Or should I ask my parents to help me out?
poster:fallsfall
thread:572807
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20051021/msgs/572807.html