The level of education that a family’s provider has is very important. Job security is a top priority, second only to the health and well-being of the individual diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. For years, statistics have shown that higher education translates to higher earnings and more secure employment. There is a direct correlation between the level of education a person has and the potential of unemployment.

Making higher education a life-long pursuit must become a priority for the 21st century family. Primary and secondary bread-winners should be continually looking for opportunities to improve their skills and training. When family members increase their commitment to pursue a formal education, they consequently improve their chances of increasing their income, which can in turn be used to support their loved ones.

If you have already received a Bachelor degree, that’s great! It definitely helps. However, in today’s employment marketplace it may be necessary to pursue a graduate degree in order to remain competitive. Pursuing a Master’s Degree, MBA, JD or PhD is expensive and a major time commitment. Choose carefully before you make a choice. Remember first to find a career that suits your skill sets and will support your intrinsic values. You may be spending a third of your life in the selection you make, be sure it’s something you enjoy doing. What you choose to do should be weighted more heavily than where you want to attend.

Providing our children with a secure and thriving lifestyle is part of the American Dream. Parents naturally want their children to have a better life than they did. For many families, the goal of having their children obtain a college education is an important objective. However, it is a long-term investment and requires careful planning. When the challenges associated with the neurological disease are present, the importance of proper planning cannot be overemphasized. If a child has a neurodegenerative disease, parents need to be alert to any barriers to their education that may exist.

A child’s individual academic achievement, although important, is only part of the education planning picture. Finding a school that will meet the child’s educational objectives, and at the same time be compatible with their spiritual customs, and social expectations, are important to ensure a good overall fit. We are blessed in this country to have a plethora of educational choices; from the two-year community and junior colleges to four-year colleges and universities to technical, vocational, and trade schools. Take the time to thoroughly vet each institution and the benefits of attending each one. We can assist you in this endeavor as well.

Career research is an essential part of selecting which school to attend.  It will enable you to discover important economic and employment trends.  Growth and income projections of the student’s areas of interest need to be considered.

When doing career research some questions that you may want to consider are:

• What do people in this career do on the job?
• What types of knowledge, skills, and abilities are required for this career?
• What level of education typically required?
• What is the average annual salary of someone in this field?
• Where are the most likely locations that someone in this field would live?
• What is the expected demand for this career in the future?

Answers to these questions and others will help in determining how much student loan debt is reasonable to take on and thereby better position yourself to provide more effectively for your loved ones.

If you happen to choose a field that touches one of the eight diseases we target here at Find Neuro Help, we want to hear from you.  A grant with your name on it could be waiting for you if you meet our established requirements.

An important factor to consider when selecting which school to attend is cost. The hurdle of cost needs to be overcome and most families do not have the resources to pay for it themselves. Costs can vary significantly from school to school. While the cost of college includes tuition and fees, it also includes equipment, travel, housing, and more. Many different funding options exist and you need to carefully consider each in order to select those that will work best in your situation and put you on the path to success.

You’ll want to make sure that the cost of the school is reasonable compared to the earning potential of your selected future career. In other words, you want to make sure that you can earn enough money to cover any student loan payments you may need to make, along with living expenses, after you graduate.

If you are like the vast majority of families in the U.S., you will need to avail yourself of federal student aid programs. It is important that you confirm the accreditation of your prospective schools to ensure that they participate in those programs.

Any school that participates in the federal student aid programs is required to provide information on its cost of attendance and to offer a net price calculator on its website. This calculator will give you an idea of how much a program may cost after subtracting any financial aid. The average net price to attend the school is determined by subtracting the average amount of federal, state/local government, or institutional grant or scholarship aid from the total cost of attendance for the institution’s largest program.