College on the Cheap Cook-DeRosa & Cloutier

Dual enrollment is available to every student in the United States, but finding success with dual enrollment begins with learning your options. Dual enrollment is frequently free or reduced for high school students, so every class they can take before high school graduation is one less class you'll pay full price for later.  

Degree planning is the one surefire way to take zeros off the cost of your college degree.  In this episode, we're going to introduce you to the art and science of degree planning.  You can apply degree planning principles at any college or university in the country.
After this episode, you can watch a demonstration video at our College on the Cheap Patreon channel where Shelley goes behind the scenes and starts with a $178,000 B.S.  degree from Post University (rack rate) and resourcefully plans it down to only $15,000- true story! 

Welcome to Walmart! Over 1 billion dollars are up for grabs and you can use it to fully fund your degree. In this episode, we'll show you how getting a part-time job at Walmart generates a guaranteed full funding opportunity for your college degree. We'll also break down the best place to use the funding, and how to cut the time needed in half.
Walmart Guild Education
The Unofficial Guide to Using CLEP Creatively at the University of Florida 

Jennifer & Shelley interview Richard Fink IV called the “world’s leading online vocal coach” by the Wall Street Journal. He has worked with singers in over 100 countries around the world, including multi-platinum-selling artists, professional actors, political leaders, and Broadway stars.  Richard gives us amazing insight into the world of performing arts and he helps us break down how to build a career creatively with (and without) a college degree on the cheap.
The Vocal Gym by Throga  https://throga.com/the-vocal-gym-by-throga/
3-Page Resource List of classes, colleges, and careers.

The cool thing about trade school (vocational school, career school, etc) is that the programs are tied tightly to employment- these programs help prepare you to get a job immediately.  The challenge with these programs is the cost. Sometimes they are more expensive per contact unit than a degree in liberal arts, and when the school is unaccredited or a for-profit business, it's hard to get wise financial aid help. 
In this episode, we'll show you how to pay for trade school (accredited or not) without devastating financial consequences.  We'll also look at alternative ways to get job skills that you may not have considered, and finally, we'll give you some rules to keep your budget in check.
Hard rule: Never borrow FOR other people, and never let people borrow for you.
Stockpiling cash for the first 50% before day 1.
Living expenses - tighten that budget!
Second 50% - Pell Grant, scholarship, gifts, working so you can cash-flow the process.  *IF you borrow, only borrow the second 50%.
Find out if the occupation is available as an apprenticeship. Get paid to learn.
Jennifer & Shelley's favorite scholarship website:  https://jlvcollegecounseling.com/scholarships
 

Three questions everyone should ask before going to college, and how to look past the "all-expense-paid-vacation" marketing colleges are pitching. 
Ask an 18-year-old about their future education, and then ask a 38-year-old about their future education. What you’ll notice time and time again, is that the 18-year-old talks about where they're going to college while the 38-year-old tells you what they’re doing. Whether it's a degree, a license, or a certification, adults tend to focus on the credential. 
In today’s episode, we’re going to strip away some of the experience of romance and bring adult wisdom to the process. 
120 credits = Bachelor's degree average
The average college allows you to bring in 30-90 credits before you enroll. Always outsource as much prior (cheaper) credit in advance to the maximum allowable number.  
Colleges that guarantee acceptance of a LOT of alternative college credit: https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.com/partnership-colleges-by-provider 
Do I know my target occupation?  
Do I need to go to graduate school? 
Can I wait?