What is the right decision?

Not really sure where this post belongs


I'm really in a bind here... I'm expecting my first child in about a month. I have 4 classes left to take to graduate with a bachelors degree at a 4 year university. My friend called me this weekend and said hes leaving for Australia for 9 months and wants to know if Id be interested in taking the vacancy at a construction company that he works at. This job pays $34 an hour. However, I'd need to take the semester off to work there. I have a waitering job that Ill be working at if I dont take a semester off that will lay me about 275-350/wk. With this construction job Ill be 4x that. Plus I wont have any worries about providing for my new child and girlfriend. My plan would be to take this semester off, save up as much as possible with this new job, take a winter course and graduate in the spring.

On the other hand, I can continue with the semester as scheduled, wait tables, and graduate in december.

What would be my best plan



need to edit... Night classes wouldnt get me to graduate in december. I expect 45-50k for an entry level position when I graduate. I have potential jobs, but nothing real promising so far. Also, by splitting up my classload, I will be able to shift to PT student and save probably about 5k in tuition (that 4I'm helping my mom pay for)

[STLantny]

Night classes an option? And how much do you think you will be making when you graduate? If you have a job lined up that pays better than the construction, finsish school ASAP, if you havent really started looking for prospects, might as well save up a few bucks while you have this oppurtunity.

[irishpint]

id say just finish school- too many of my buds dropped out and i dont see them back.

[nothumb]

$34/hr x 40 hrs a week = $1360/wk

$1360/wk x 52 weeks = $70,720/yr.

If you can stand the work I would go for it. Most people leave school and make half that, or less. Also, there's a time limit on it (he will be returning) which means it will make it more feasible for you to do it for a while, then go back to school.

Working for a while will give you a lot of perspective on the career path you're on and help you determine some priorities. Not to mention I think it's a great opportunity for you to provide for your family.

NT

[Al P]

Didn't Joe Millionare only make $9/hr? What kinda construction job pays $34 to a newbie?

It's a government contract my bud's dad has. I thought the pay seemed a little high. But a couple of my friends do electrician and carpentry work for about the same amount in the Union

[mslif]

Have you talked to your girlfriend about this? Does she plan on going to work after your child is born? is she done with school?

She said that she never doubts the time and thought I put into decisions and she trusts that whatever decision I make will be the right one for the three of us. She will be going back to work in November (when the baby is scheduled for daycare) She had a short stint of school but there are no immediate plans for her to return.

[The Goober]

I voted to take the construction job mostly because it seems like it would give you more free time vs. school and waiting tables. Your girlfriend is going to need as much support from you as possible when this kid comes. I've talked to couples where both parents were able to take of time off work when the kid was born, and they said it was still incredibly stressfull and they had exactly 0 free time. With the construction job, you will be working regular hours and the money will help you do things like buy dinner instead of having to cook. Plus, I think it will be hard to focus on your schooling with the new kid and the education you would get now is not as valuable as the education you will get when your life settles down a bit and you can focus on what you are doing.

my $0.02 anyway

[Unoriginalname]

I voted finish school, but after reading the rest of the thread I've changed my mind. I have no idea what it's like to have a child and the other posters made some good points. I say get the construction job, so that you're working regular hours and banking good money at this very crucial time of you and your family's life. Then, once things settle down, it'll be easier for you to focus on school and finish that up. Taking one extra semester isn't bad at all.

[Dominic]

have no clue what you should do. I just have one question:

what in the hell are you having a child for when you're still in school andbarely making ends meet???

That's not the point, mom. But if you really want to know, I decided to down 3 bottles of wine last christmas and I guess I got caught up in the moment... But I'm excited to travel this new path...

[kiemo]

Unless you want to be working construction the rest of your life finish school.

Becuase once you start making the money at the construction gig you are going to find alot of reasons why you wont be able to quit becuase of the money it pays.

This isnt even considering the kid factor, which is huge also. Kids take time, lots of time. So putting together the loss of time + greater money in construction gig and it should be easy to see how a 6 month delay can easily turn into a 2 year delay, which can then easily turns into a lifetime delay.

[TxSteve]

gotta finish school

it will be a tough semester with all the changes; but go ahead and get it over with.

34$ an hour is pretty good pay (at your age/education); but you definitely don't want to be stuck there for a long time.

it will be much easier to finish school now and get into the "professional" world than it will be to take a semester off and get back into it

[Dave G.]

Finish school.

I know a lot of people who defer for a year and "planned" to return but never did for various reasons. They liked the job, or the pay, or they kept getting offers from other people to work... they never seemed to find enough time to get around to finishing their degree, which is going to hurt them in the long run. Without that degree, your options (and pay) in the future are going to be severely limited.

You should only quit school if you're happy not working in the field you're studying in, because there's a very big chance that once you do leave, you never will.

Get the degree finished. I understand the desire to sacrifice this for your family, but ultimately what's best for you is going to be best for them in the long run anyway. 10 years down the road you don't wanna be stuck in a job you hate because you never finished school, and have so many financial committments that you couldn't finish it even if you wanted to. You won't be as happy as you could be, and that's going to affect your family too.

[jakethebake]

A lot of big four-year schools have night classes or self-paced classes, depending on what classes you need. also, depending on what you need, you might be able to take evening classes at a local community college and transfer them to graduate. Check with a student advisor to make sure you know ALL your options.

[Zurvan]

I voted stay in school - if you leave, there's a very high chance you'll never finish. Construction is good work, but very hard. Consider if you want to do that for the rest of your life.

I change my mind if you will not have enough money to support the baby if you stay in school. Kids are expensive, but if you can provide for it, and finish your education, that's what will likely be best long term.

I went to college with a guy who had a baby at the end of his second last year. He was VERY tired last year, but he made it through, and he now has a good job, and it was worth the effort. It's possible to raise a baby & finish school - it's hard though.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
But I'm excited to travel this new path...

[/ QUOTE ]

Not the best way to go about it, but it sounds like your attitude is good and there's no point dwelling on the mistake. Plenty of people make great parents w/o a lot of money or being in ideal situations. It's just harder. Over the long-term if you really want to do well by your family though, make sure you finish the schooling.

[Rick Diesel]

Does the construction job give you benefits? This is a huge factor, as a lot of college kids that are still living on their parents benefits do not realize the cost involved here that you will need to take on if you quit school for yourself, let alone the cost of benefits for your child.

[durron597]

Night school/graduate in May.

[BoogerFace]

I voted finish school. You got 3 months left. I know from experience that night classes after working your hump off all day at a physical job are not a good mix.

With a child you will not have time for full time work, night classes, and homework.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

I vote take the construction job, scrap the food serving job and take night/ online/ correspondence classes to finish school.
You really MUST finish school.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

[ QUOTE ]
have no clue what you should do. I just have one question:

what in the hell are you having a child for when you're still in school andbarely making ends meet???

[/ QUOTE ]

Whatever. Like you weren't conceived that way.
Please. Most children are not planned. Get over it.

[RacersEdge]

Since the construction job pays more than your entry level job, you're not really losing money by delaying graduation. Work the job, set up your wife and gf.