I recently earned a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. To simplify the story, it took me nine years to start the degree and a little less than two years to finish it. Even though my work did not pay for any of it, I still managed to come out a few hundred dollars ahead. I got paid to get my degree. It took eleven years to get to this point. During those first nine years, I questioned the value of a degree, wondered how I would even pay for it, and hated the thought of having to spend years doing college crap. I faced these three issues, and after personally having this conversation three times in a week, I wanted to put these thoughts together and dispel some myths.

In this post, we are going to tackle the three issues of value, money, and time. We will start with the assumption that college is expensive and that it will take many years to finish. By the end of this guide, the cost will be little less than free, and the degree will take eighteen months to complete! Most of what I discuss applies to anyone in the U.S. though some tips might be specific to your job, income or situation. Let’s get started!

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