Hi everyone, I just got the news this morning so am in a bit of a shock, but my dad is currently unemployed and may be going into retirement as I don't think he is in the mental space or physical state to look for a new job (he's 60). I (22) am just wrapping up my last year at university with thankfully minimal debt, and am starting an entry level job next year. However, I have dreams of going into higher education, perhaps taking some classes concurrently with my job first then fully enrolling in a master's degree or PhD program after a couple of years working and making some money.
The reason my dad being fired is a curve ball is because while my parents are frugal, I probably need to contribute about 2k a month to sustain them, and I really only make 5k a month before taxes. I can survive but essentially we're all scraping by here. My undergraduate GPA is not very good so I was thinking about taking a class or two along with my job to boost my GPA and then apply to a master's degree, but I don't know how I will afford to do either of those things.
Is my best choice to work for more years to save up before continuing education? Or go ahead and pay off debt later? Another concern is also I feel my peak learning years will drop off as I get older so would rather finish earlier rather than later.
I also have no idea how to help my parents set up for retirement and what to look out for as they age. Are there any costs I need to be aware of? Perhaps medical bills? They have little to no savings but own a small flat where they live currently.
I would appreciate any or all advice. Thank you so much!
Tl;Dr: No income for parents, I make 5k/month before taxes as a fresh graduate, give parents about 2k/month. How to afford higher education and what expenses to look out for in regards to aging parents?
Submitted November 12, 2017 at 10:28AM by alg_krieger http://ift.tt/2zye4KM
