You and your husband have to be on the same page whether requiring an associates or a bachelor's degree. I fully believe every highschool student should be trained in a career. Be it tech school or associates by the time they finish highschool. So if it were my son they'd be picking a trade and doing basic general classes as DE or a full associates degree. If you're paying for it fully he should get a business degree whether that's associates or bachelor's it's up to your family. If he has to take out loans respect his wishes not to go on. At that point you're costing him money for something he doesn't want. Also 15 is pretty young to have your whole career goals planned. Not saying it doesn't happen but look into other interests too.

Never, longest I stayed in one place was 7 years. I've lived in NY, FL, OH, WV, FL again (different part) and MA. We'll see where life takes me next. I would like to own something one day. When we were younger we'd move every two years or so up until my daughter was 12 then we stayed one place for 7 years, now we're on the move again. hoping one day we like where we are to stay.

Nothing for the undergrad and about $45 k for graduate school. Though tuition is 27k. The rest is spending money for 3 years which is about $125 a week. So it looks like a lot but not when you break it down weekly. They live at home but pay for all their things. We have dinner as a family everything else is on them. Not in a bad way it just works out like that.

If he just wants a degree and can learn it on his own look into Western governors University. Undergraduate school was not hard for my child. They were very excited when they got to graduate school and had a 25 page final. Only to find out it was a group project and she was only responsible for 3-5 pages. She transferred schools because she felt that was lazy to WGU that each class is test based or project based. She's no longer interested in WGU not because the workload is too easy but she wants human connection. She's no longer excited about the work. So she's going to try in person and see how that works out. I know it's not the work that is getting to her because she carries a 3.0+ GPA. My thoughts are if you're not interested or can't afford college life the quickest most affordable way to a degree in a field you want is the best way. If he just wants to check a box let him and have him do a co-op while in school. It's not that I feel there's no value in college but there are other ways to get credentials needed especially in the tech field.

My son was DX'd by ten, then re diagnosed at 17 after going through a couple of Drs. It would have been so much easier if I was DX'd (different DX) when I was younger. I may have finished highschool or college. My son is on the spectrum he had a lot of souport was able to finish college with alternative degree where it was almost all classes he picked. So every required courses we were able to explain exactly why he needed that course for his goal. He doesn't tell others but his friends know. Medicine and there's vocational rehab. What we are finding with our son is that he will succeed with a high enough paying part time job. But he'll probably not work full-time. We've worked hard on everyone asking for what they want/ need and listening to others boundaries. Like texting before calling. Asking for a game ( instead of deciding it'll be a no), asking for a hugs. Dxing helps us know more what we are working with. We liken it to running on a different computer operating system. There's nothing wrong with him or any one with a disorder. It's just we experience the world differently. Not diagnosis is making him operation at a disadvantage. You wouldn't think a person not walking on a broken leg was lazy but the ability to get a walking cast would be celebrated when walking again without that help would feel impossible.

I have Schizoaffective: Bipolar type. Paranoia outside episode is normal for me because of the schizo part. Which requires an injection of an antipsychotic monthly (there are some that are 2x a year) to even agree to take the rest of my medications. I have symptoms even heavily medicated. My paranoia on medication is just the uneasy feeling someone's standing behind you looking over your shoulder. I would ask if there was a safe injectable antipsychotic if she's willing. So her baseline is more stable.

The thing is she needs 2 AP classes this year. 5+ AP classes by the time she graduates if she's going after the the College Board's African American Scholar Distinction, and AP Scholar. If she's a fine arts student she may enjoy the AP art classes. If she goes for the APID there's specific tests she needs to take. And if she does a fine arts degree those classes will help. I think the OP is looking to show rigor not the most transferable classes. I maybe wrong and if I am As much De as possible to make it transferable especially if grad school is a thought.

You may want to look at the APID Here's a list of pass rates If I had a do over button I would do DE math every semester and DE science every year But in your daughters case I would take AP Studio Art: 2-D Design, Studio Art: 3-D Design, Studio Art: Drawing Year 10 Government & Politics Comparative AP AP Bio Art and Design: Drawing AP DE math (each semester) DE creative writing Foreign language Year 11 AP Art History AP stats AP Studio Art: 2-D foreign language DE elective DE chemistry Year 12 AP language DE Social studies DE Physics AP English lit DE math (x 2) AP Art and Design: 3-D That will give her 9 AP courses letting her have both rigor and advanced art classes but know after my son's first AP course (9th grade) he decided against AP. He switched to full DE and did wonderfully. DE was easier because it wasn't based on one test.

I didn't run the NPC. I ran current tuition +4% every year and the dorm and meal plan multiplied that by years he'd be in college. I added my own amount for books, travel, mis. based on location. (I didn't count those because he would have to pay that when he moved out anyway.) Our state you can get a bachelors degree through our CC's. So I gave my son the task of applying for scholarships from every college to get his fee's down to that. One school wanted us to take 16k year out on top of his loans and work study so that was out. He eventually got a full ride scholarship from our "local-ish" state school. He was planning on taking a job to pay the 16k a year but decided to go to state university. He actually was able to get it changed so they paid his off campus expenses. I would say give the child a budget and see what magic they can work. The school my son went to was the highest cost one he was looking at. Even on his HS graduation announcements it said he was going to a different school for the major there. As a budget for us it was how much monthly we could cash flow, what he could earn and the 5,500 loan. We continue(d) to pay for his phone and food plus gave him monthly the amount we were planning on paying. Looking back we should have put that money in a 529 because he went on to grad school. We plan to continue to give him what we can cash flow a month to pay school expenses. So if they're a little stretch for your family then try. We also made sure if he lost his scholarship he would still be able to go to that college if he worked. We were very concerned over the fact he could loose the scholarship and not be able to finish or his credits wouldn't fully transfer.

He was originally in information science. He switched to a completion program ( a special program that takes your credits earned and turns that into a bachelor's of science in applied science. There are certain requirements to enter the program and get that degree) but the whole focus was getting the student to graduate in as little time as possible. A similar program is an interdisciplinary studies degree. Or if they're older a general's study degree. He talked to the advisor several times before changing. He was looking for the fastest way to complete his degree. The advisor was even allowed to substitute classes if there was no opertunity to take them in a timely manner. Which happened with one class. He still took all information studies classes but had a much looser degree plan he had to follow. He was able to finish with a 3.5, removed some math from his required courses and still get to the same master's degree. Instead of a bachelor's of science in information studies. He has a bachelor of science in applied science concentration in information studies: information architecture. There's 9 different concentration for the bsas and 14 concentrations for the BGS degree and hundreds of combinations for IDS degrees.

@teachermom2834 My son's not academically inclined he started off with an Associates of science ( 2 year career readiness degree) graduated found that they were looking for a 4 year degree. Went into a special program that was electives heavy to get a 4 year degree. Doesn't like his job options so he's getting a master's. This is a kid that failed every core class from 7th to 10th grade. Only doing well in the classes that he picked. His 4 year degree consisted of: 15 general education was chosen for him. (English 1,2, speech, math, government) 18 general education was electives. (Math or programming, science, humanities x2, and some others) 66 we're chosen electives in the major. (In a specialty of web development and data Architect they have a ton of specialties to choose from) 18 credits electives. ( He chooses business classes)

We did a curriculum map. Then list out by the semester. By the time he talked to his advisors he had his class schedule all planned out. His advisor was really helpful in substitute classes when not available. He did have to take to take summer classes one semester. He was able to get his degree in the proper amount of time. I don't trust advisors as I've seen so many bad advisors. At the CC level we picked one advisors that we like and even if they don't work with that major they help. At university level my son switched majors to get a good advisor. Now his master's degree doesn't have individual advising.

I don't know I'm torn. ROI is around 36 years old for a degree that cost 100k. So 37-64 you've caught up making more. so if you spend more, have a less than adverage wage job, or take longer than 4 years to graduate then it takes that much longer to get to the ROI. There's also the horrible drop/fail out rate of college. All those students carry the debt without the rewards. So many are making less then they would if they never went to school. And it's not kids that shouldn't have gone to college in the first place. We're talking about kids with AP credits that graduate top of their class not completing college. There's a heart breaking article of where the Baltimore valedictorians are 10 years later. That said with guidance I think carefully chosen education is the key out of poverty. My son graduate 2 years early and is spending those 2 years getting a master's degree. His current degree starting value is 80k. His master's degree will put him up passed 100k. Unless he decides to be a college teacher. His whole degree will cost him $51,250 this will hopefully include his PhD. For a kid who's parents income never broke 30k that's a lot of loans and he's scared but also excited to make more money then he's ever seen. I have no doubt he'll pay off his loans in 2 years if he makes as much as he can. However because of his goals he may not make the ROI until late 50s if at all. but he'll make enough to live on. Of his friends he is the only one to go to college. I'm trying to set up 529s for my nephews and niece and I'm getting push back in case they don't go to college. But I feel getting through college is a family ordeal. I'd rather save money for the possibility that they go then for the possibility that they don't go.

- What led you to homeschool? To be honest school failed both me and my husband. We were poor and lived in low preforming schools. He did not do well in daycare though they were great with him. -- How was your child homeschooled in the high school years? We started with online classes but after several incidences and one failed AP tests we decided he wasn't learning anything and we needed to change. He had no hobbies, no goals and was just miserable. So we went to doing ANYTHING productive. He spent his time creating an rpg world, doing digital art, learning to code, music production, learning guitar, and creating hobbies. BUT we had a problem we wanted him to have a career when he graduated high school because we realized he wasn't for traditional education. So naturally we started looking into tech schools but quickly found we wouldn't be able to afford it. So we started to look into dual enrollment is free. We took his hobbies and high paying AS degrees in our area. He ended up tolerating classes in web development. He took some classes in Art and programing and other hobbies but once the decision to start web development was made we required him to stick with it. He graduated with a certificate in java and a degree in web development along with his high school diploma. He took an extra year to graduate high school because of all the mess of his first 2 years. -- What did your child do after graduating? Though he did not like school he scored well enough for bright futures scholarship. We found a non traditional program that he had to take 13 classes in general ed and his concentration and 7 free elective classes. His 7 classes were in entrepreneurship. So he got a degree in information architect. What is your child doing now? He moved out the month he graduated and looked for a remote job part time. He wasn't able to find one that he liked so he decided to go back to school part time (??) for his masters in information technology. he has decided to also move with us when we move. Which we're fine with as he's only 20.

My son has : certificate in programming associates of science in web development Bachelor's of science in information science: information architecture minor in entrepreneurship. He came in with the AS degree and certificate. So it took 2 years to get. He had to take summer classes. He did have an internship in highschool to get his AS degree. He also volunteered at a camp as kitchen staff for a summer in highschool.

So I screwed up got scared of highschool and tried virtual school. 7-9th grade he spent more time getting dropped from classes then in classes. That's not how my son learns. He needs no busy work. So he made it miserable. With learning nothing those three years I finally told him he had to sign up for an associates of science degree through dual enrollment. He passed into honors but didn't want to do it so he signed up for regular classes. We started doing 6 hours of productive work a day and paying him $30-40 per class for a B or A. So he could do anything productive in that time but only got paid for dual enrollment classes. He struggled with not switching majors and ended up getting an Associates of science degree and a certificate of programming. He had a high 3.x gpa. We also gave him credit for the classes he took outside de too. He ended up graduation with 89 dual enrollment credits. So by the end he had a good grade a career degree. So we spent less than $1200 over his last three years. Then he went on to transfer 60 of those credits into the university. He lived at home and went mostly online (which one of those years no one went on campus). He liked his major but wanted to expand with a minor. So he did that. It took him 2 years to graduate. He required a transcript for university and none of those grades were questioned even though he had a mix of virtual school, de and traditional homeschooling classes. And SAT scores. The reason we decided he needed to do dual enrollment was financial and so he could have a career right out of highschool. Dual enrollment is free here. He ended up getting a full cost of attendance scholarship from the local university. He finished his bachelor's in 2 years. At the beginning of this month. So he's 19 looking for a remote career and moved out a week ago. I would keep the lab books, table of contents, and reading list. Trust yourself Figure out what your minimum requirements to graduate and work back from that. Oh and virtual school did not predict his grades in college. He did an AS degree vs an AA degree because an AA front loads the general education classes and the AS has only 15 general education credits and 45 career specific credits.

We don't own any credit cards. We deal mainly in cash and debit. He will be in a different situation as he wants to own a business and home. Honestly I have no idea what our credit score is we don't pay attention to it as we buy in cash. He wont be able to do that and his liquid assets will be far more then ours. I want him to be able to rely on himself for more advanced personal finance. He is taking an business minor but it hasn't covered finances yet. He's scared to manage debt but even now that's holding him back. He needs a set of hard rules to deal with finance. We were thinking this was the best way because it gives case studies and covers all aspects of finance. Our other option is coursera's finance classes. His CC doesn't have Community outreach classes. And the "local" university isn't local. So he's stuck trying to find something online.

My son is looking into this certificate mainly for his own personal use. However we don't know if the course is worth 3k. It's a 49-70 week program. We figure it maybe because he won't need to hire a financial planner later. He's debt adverse and secular so I don't think financial peace is a good option. He will need a credit score and a mortgage. I don't think Financial Peace goes into as much detail as this. But the price is a lot. I'm thinking if we pay for the first course then take the rest of the course as he feels he needs to ( so $450/course). He also needs it as he plans to open his own business. Mainly I want him to have a complete financial education. (He's the type of kid that will live in an unsafe place with minimum amenities and store all of his income in the bank savings account. Then not spend enough on food or entertainment for himself)

I would just take the DE test.

Does he have to work? What grade is he in would he finish a degree before graduating? Wouldn't he still need the ACT for college?

Your looking at two years Community college getting phi theta kappa and then a phi theta kappa scholarship to a commutable university. That way he has access to the 7,500 loan the last two year. Honesty it maybe a conversation that we had with our son going " Look I know you've worked real hard and I'm so proud of you. I know you have your heart set on this but we can only pay for you to have an Associates of science degree (or trade) from x school. Here are a few majors I think you'll like. This doesn't have to be a forever career it's just so you can work and save up for what you really want. I'm so sorry and it's not fair but it's what we can afford." Then give him a little while. Then have him look at majors and apply. My son found a highly lucrative career that he enjoys but is not his passion. He was able to get a scholarship to finish his BS but it was mostly online and he had to live at home. He's planing on continuing with his art, programing skills, and networking in hopes to one day get a master's in the field that he originally wanted (game dev.) He's almost finished with information science degree. I'm sorry you may have to have this conversation with your son. It sucks but if he can save 1/3 of his income and stash that away for classes. He can live off campus in student dorms and take classes as he can pay. Look into your budget and see what possible to save. Maybe do a matching agreement up to the amount you can reasonably put in. For us it's $25 for every $100 he puts in.

My sons hook was having a AS degree, clear goals, and an odd major. He also had volunteer hours based on his career goal as well as other volunteering. Look at to schools that they're in the top 75% of stats.

I was a 2E kid. I had behavior problems. It kept me in ISS for 3 years before dropping out. They kept me mainstream because of my behavior issues. My mom felt they were wrong about the 2E because I wouldn't do work so she thought I couldn't. I'd learn on my own but because I refused to do work that didn't interest me I wouldn't pass even though I aced every test. I didn't believe I was a 2E kid until I went to sit for my GED and it was easy for me but the day to day stuff tripped me up. So my behavior kept me back. Unfortunately it wasn't until I was much older that my behavior issues were medicated properly. My husband was gifted too and became a behavior issue as he entered his teen years. He would skip school to read at the library. He was able to make deals and graduate. So we didn't want our kid to be labeled and held back. So we kept him out.

Decide your budget some peoples budget is very low and some peoples budget is higher. Some people budget includes money they borrow, some do not borrow. Sign up for the earliest SAT/ACT test Look at what's available locally (You'll need at least 1 school to fill out FAFSA) We put our commutable community college as a place holder and the cheapest option. Tour local colleges to see the kind of campus your son wants. A small liberal art college, a big state school, a community college. Try to tour in the next couple of weeks. Fill out FAFSA FAFSA will come back with a number. That number is what the government thinks you can pay a year. It's not what colleges will cost you. Colleges can be more expensive or less expensive then your Expected Family Contribution. It just says whether or not you qualify for grants. They also qualify you for loans but you do not have to take them if you don't want them Fill out State aid application if it is separate With your budget start narrowing down schools. Instate with a few exception have the lowest "sticker price", but private schools that offer merit can cost less depending on stats, need and other things. State schools also offer merit to some students. some things to think about which school type did he like? Is he planning on living on campus? How far away? What majors do they have? Pick a major look at majors that pop out at him. Then look at the classes in that major, whichever major has more of the classes he enjoys that's his major. Also look up minors to add look up clubs Find jobs in that major Look at the ROI for that major. Some majors start out making 30k others make 90+k to start. You don't want to take out 300+k for 30k job. cut what you can out. If they're commuting you wont have room and board Getting a triple room vs a double or single room Off campus housing may be cheaper (If allowed) lower level meal plan Rent books if cheaper Apply to schools in your budget Go back into your FAFSA and State site to add the schools you applied to. Wait for acceptance letters Apply to all the scholarships at each school that they qualify for. Wait for all aid packages to come back Pick the best school

We always had a 5 toy rule. Ever year he made a list of 10 things that he would like and a star next to the one thing that would make his holiday. Those are the things we try to get. If it's a big thing we go into it as a group gift with my husband's family. My family on the other hand doesn't listen. I give them the "set" of thing or the most costly thing. Now he can't even come up with a list of 5 things. Right after Christmas we'd go through his things and do this or that game and give the gifts away. As he got older he asked for experiences. (Ie. karate lessons, movie tickets, game passes, restaurant gift cards.), Sets (lego, book series), and asking for more expensive things (graphics pad, computer, game system, phone) or subscriptions to thing (game pass, audible, adobe creative cloud.) It took a little while for family to get use to wrapping big empty boxes especially because other family did not have those rules. So it looked like to others he was getting less but everyone got use to it. My parents eventually put a price on how much to give each child. So my son would get the same amount as the other kids but his would just be one thing. They ended up being creative in their wrapping. I would ask for something like a kindle with kindle unlimited or getepic if you have readers. That way there's something to wrap but it's small and impressive.