Get a Degree with Stimulus Money

In an evolving job market, Americans today are finding new ways to adjust, showing remarkable resourcefulness and elasticity in trying to outsmart the economic forecasts.

Some adults are looking to:

* Change careers in order to escape their formerly stable -- but now increasingly unstable -- industry.

* Take internships that would, in more prosperous times, have been reserved for someone in their early 20s.

* Take part-time jobs after losing the wind in their sails from the failure of their full-time job search.

* Take jobs that would normally be occupied by teenagers.  

Recognizing this trend in the marketplace, the U.S. government has responded with a plan to help the American worker gain the skills needed to advance.

"In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity -- it is a prerequisite," says President Barack Obama in his Feb. 24 Joint Session speech,

A 2007 study shows that, on average, a full-time worker with a 4 year college degree earns $50,900 a year, while the full-time working counterpart with a high school diploma earns $31,500, a 62 percent difference.  

Good news in this changing market is that $90.9 billion has been set aside for education from the multi-billion dollar stimulus package. It has:

* Increased the maximum amount that one can receive through a Pell Grant -- essentially free money to help pay for tuition expenses -- from $4,731 to $5,350.

* Increased the amount one can take out for an unsubsidized Stafford loan -- which could help cover the costs of courses one may not have originally been able to take -- by $2,000 a year.

* Created tax credits for anyone paying tuition costs -- changing the allowable amount from $1,800 to $2,500 for households earning $180,000 or less.

There may even be more help on the horizon. The American Opportunity Tax Credit Act of 2009 may allow individuals to receive a tax credit for higher education expenses for up to $4,000 per year. If this goes into effect, tax credits could be filed starting Jan. 1, 2010.

At a time when financial aid is more readily available, and at a time when the job market continues to try to find its shape, now might be as good a time as ever for adults to go back to school. Encouraging these adults to invest in their futures, OnlineStudentFinancialAid.com is providing people with the opportunity to search for schools in higher education, all offering financial aid programs. At a time when opportunities are limited, this may be an opportunity that is hard to pass up.


Grab a hold of the opportunity to go back to school with better financial aid so you can work toward a new career. Visit OnlineStudentFiancialAid.com today to find the best deal for you. Copyright ©, ARAnet, Inc.