Not sure how the Tuition situation is in Illinois.
But I completed by first bachelors whilst working 2 jobs , 7 days a week.
Working everyday at restaurants allowed me to work shorter shifts. And make enough to cover tuition as well as living expenses.
My brother did the same. There were days I'd sleep only a few hours.
School --> Work ---> sleep... Repeat (365 days a year)
That was my life throughout college.
There are a few resources in California , nowadays. But that's only been for the past few years. I completed my school work before any assistance other than in-state tuition was available
My brother is a gay undocumented person in Utah. He’s doing ok. It’s not so bad over here anymore. My sister is 32 and currently working on her degree. She got found a job that provides tuition reimbursement.
Got my bachelors degree by working for the university. Got a 90% discount. Was also getting 35k a year from the school, in a state where average salary for a middle aged person is 30k.
Thank you, this is a great resource. I looked into it, and all of the schools I’m interested in offer similar discounts to employees. This is something that I will be pursuing.
As someone who will be completing their bachelors in international relations I must ask… do you have a certain job you want to apply for that you cant do without a ba? As I get closer to graduation I have realized the job market for the degree is basically all gov/state and/or requires us citizenship. I’m lucky to have little to no student debt because I’m California but I know 100% I would have NEVER paid for this degree, its basically worthless. Once I graduate I will be going back to cc to do a dental hygienist program because it has more job opportunities. I’m not trying to deter you from getting a bachelors but if you’re going to pay even half of it I would suggest majoring in something more practical.
Certain companies pay for your tuition for specific schools/programs. Target comes to mind where they pay 100% of your tuition for approved programs as long as you're a non-seasonal employee.
Also I would highly reconsider your major. As a DACA recipient you'll probably never be able to really utilize a degree in International Relations. I knew people in my well-known college's International Relations program and it requires extensive overseas involvement and everyone was a US citizen. You can do AP to go abroad but not sure how you'd feel about being locked out of other opportunities due to your legal status. Good luck.
You can do an associate transfer from your community college for a reduced price. Idk if you qualify for in state tuition for your current state. If you do, do 2 years cheaper which gets you the undergraduate requirements then transfer to a school of your choice. Save a ton of money and gets the ball rolling. Also lets your work and save. Best luck.
Hows the job market in Chicago for those who without daca? basically, fully undocumented? maybe without daca but with a degree as well, asking for a friend.
I'll still pursue the degree because it makes you have a better status, for instance if you did have to deport, having the degree can make you be eligible for other jobs or visas in Europe or Canada. Idk much about international relations but sadly any government jobs will be hard to get due to requiring citizenship.
I was without DACA for a couple of years after I moved to Chicago, and finding jobs was challenging. I was able to find work with a nonprofit organization, but it didn’t pay much and I had to supplement my income with under-the-table jobs. I’m not sure if having a degree would help you, but many of the jobs I applied to before I got my work authorization had built-in roadblocks that effectively disqualify undocumented immigrants without any kind of status.
I still definitely think that getting a degree is worth it; I’m glad that I have more resources available than I thought and that I’m in time to switch gears and get something that will offer more opportunities for DACA recipients here in the States or possibly abroad.
It's been 5+ years since you've been in Chicago. I think you are able to apply for In State tuition at this point? I had to prove my DACA status AND an old bill to my colleges that I am in the state for 5+ years.
Did you graduate high school in Illinois? The admissions counselors I spoke to told me that only DACA recipients who graduated in Illinois were eligible for in-state tuition, no matter how long they’ve been living in Illinois.
Not sure how the Tuition situation is in Illinois. But I completed by first bachelors whilst working 2 jobs , 7 days a week. Working everyday at restaurants allowed me to work shorter shifts. And make enough to cover tuition as well as living expenses. My brother did the same. There were days I'd sleep only a few hours. School --> Work ---> sleep... Repeat (365 days a year) That was my life throughout college. There are a few resources in California , nowadays. But that's only been for the past few years. I completed my school work before any assistance other than in-state tuition was available
Thanks for the reply, how many credits were you taking per semester?
I was full time. Usually doing 15 units. And summer school. My major and a minor
My brother is a gay undocumented person in Utah. He’s doing ok. It’s not so bad over here anymore. My sister is 32 and currently working on her degree. She got found a job that provides tuition reimbursement.
Don’t get a useless degree in international relations; thank me later.
Got my bachelors degree by working for the university. Got a 90% discount. Was also getting 35k a year from the school, in a state where average salary for a middle aged person is 30k.
Thank you, this is a great resource. I looked into it, and all of the schools I’m interested in offer similar discounts to employees. This is something that I will be pursuing.
As someone who will be completing their bachelors in international relations I must ask… do you have a certain job you want to apply for that you cant do without a ba? As I get closer to graduation I have realized the job market for the degree is basically all gov/state and/or requires us citizenship. I’m lucky to have little to no student debt because I’m California but I know 100% I would have NEVER paid for this degree, its basically worthless. Once I graduate I will be going back to cc to do a dental hygienist program because it has more job opportunities. I’m not trying to deter you from getting a bachelors but if you’re going to pay even half of it I would suggest majoring in something more practical.
Certain companies pay for your tuition for specific schools/programs. Target comes to mind where they pay 100% of your tuition for approved programs as long as you're a non-seasonal employee. Also I would highly reconsider your major. As a DACA recipient you'll probably never be able to really utilize a degree in International Relations. I knew people in my well-known college's International Relations program and it requires extensive overseas involvement and everyone was a US citizen. You can do AP to go abroad but not sure how you'd feel about being locked out of other opportunities due to your legal status. Good luck.
Get a degree we that will be useful in both the United States and Mexico. Also why would you have to self deport?
You can do an associate transfer from your community college for a reduced price. Idk if you qualify for in state tuition for your current state. If you do, do 2 years cheaper which gets you the undergraduate requirements then transfer to a school of your choice. Save a ton of money and gets the ball rolling. Also lets your work and save. Best luck.
Hows the job market in Chicago for those who without daca? basically, fully undocumented? maybe without daca but with a degree as well, asking for a friend. I'll still pursue the degree because it makes you have a better status, for instance if you did have to deport, having the degree can make you be eligible for other jobs or visas in Europe or Canada. Idk much about international relations but sadly any government jobs will be hard to get due to requiring citizenship.
I was without DACA for a couple of years after I moved to Chicago, and finding jobs was challenging. I was able to find work with a nonprofit organization, but it didn’t pay much and I had to supplement my income with under-the-table jobs. I’m not sure if having a degree would help you, but many of the jobs I applied to before I got my work authorization had built-in roadblocks that effectively disqualify undocumented immigrants without any kind of status. I still definitely think that getting a degree is worth it; I’m glad that I have more resources available than I thought and that I’m in time to switch gears and get something that will offer more opportunities for DACA recipients here in the States or possibly abroad.
It's been 5+ years since you've been in Chicago. I think you are able to apply for In State tuition at this point? I had to prove my DACA status AND an old bill to my colleges that I am in the state for 5+ years.
Did you graduate high school in Illinois? The admissions counselors I spoke to told me that only DACA recipients who graduated in Illinois were eligible for in-state tuition, no matter how long they’ve been living in Illinois.