The Q: I went to a university for 3 and a half years. I hated every minute of it, accumulated a HUGE pile of debt for myself, and I left with really poor grades. I didn't even do any partying, I just didn't get anywhere. I used to be a really good student in high school, but don't have great SAT's.

Well now I live in a tiny apartment and wait tables to pay the bills. I want to go back to school somewhere, although I don't know what i want to major in. I'm very unhappy. What kind of people can i talk to get some sort of plan? I honestly don't know what i can do to fix this mess.

The A: This is by no means an easy problem to solve, as you know. But there are ways out. First, I suggest you try to find some career counseling, or more specifically vocational rehabilitation counseling. Contact your local social services office and find out if career services are available. You need to sort out what you *want* to do. Just because you don't like waiting tables, it isn't necessarily clear that college is the right answer. There are lots of great careers out there that don't require college...

If you find out that the career path you'd like to follow requires a college education — or if you decide that you want to go back to school for the intellectual stimulation — don't worry. Your financial worries are manageable. There are several good non-profit debt counseling organizations you might contact. Or you might choose a state school with low tuition and then meet with admissions and financial aid counselors. In most cases, your student loan payments are frozen while you're a full-time student.

Nonetheless, you will probably have to work full-time and go to school full-time simultaneously. It's not impossible — I did it, and so did thousands of other people you see every day. But it's hard work, really hard work, and you definitely need to know why you're doing it in order to get through.

To recap:
• Get help figuring out what you want to do. Even if you change your mind later, having a goal is the only way to get this process rolling.
• Choose a school with manageable tuition, good financial aid programs, and a good reputation in your area of interest.
• Get help sorting out your debt. Use the resources at your school and elsewhere.
• Get focussed. You'll need a lot of time-management skills and a lot of commitment to get through this, but you can do it if you get focussed.

One final word--patience. It make take you a year to accomplish the list above. Be gentle but firm with yourself on this part. Set reasonable dates for accomplishing each step, one step at a time. Start by getting a career guide, such as the classic What Color Is Your Parachute?, out of the library, and read it. That's enough for the first month. Anyway, you see my point, I hope; if you set unrealistic goals for yourself, the process will make you feel worse, and you won't want to continue. But if you don't set any goals at all, you won't ever get to the tasks.

I know this is not an easy process, but it's really important. I hope you find a career you love, and I wish you all the luck and perseverance in the process.

—Anahid Kassabian, Chief Advisor

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