Some people are very well organized. Paying for college has already been planned out. Most of us aren’t so organized. And although we can see that college looms in the distant future, we get caught up making a living and dealing with the daily hassles of life... who has time to think about paying for college?

Then it hits us as we sit in the stands for our kids high school graduation...now what?

How you deal with this depends on whether you’re a traditional or non-traditional person.

If you’re from a traditional family like me, your parents (or other family members) were thinking about paying for college when you were an infant, and saved for your college. Or maybe you received scholarships, student loans, or grants. You may have also worked full or part time to supplement your income.

First, lets put the notion that paying for college is impossible to rest. Life is never easy or fair. College is expensive, and paying for college is hard, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I began to wonder if there was a simple way for me to share some of the information I had produced over the years, while monitizing the site to cover my expenses. I wanted something that I could work on in my spare time, and wouldn’t take too much time to maintain.

Nori was 12 years old when she began creating a website using Site Build It. Here was a young girl, spending her time creating a website about something she loved, and eventually making money with her site.

The reason her story resonated with me was the idea that a pre-teen girl could very well end up paying for college by “working” on a website before she even gets into high school. Now this may not be a typical result, but it sparked a few questions.

Why couldn’t kids in high school (most are computer savvy anyway) learn to build a profitable web site using Site Build It? And why couldn’t they build it so they can be paying for college on their own?

Now, Site Build It will tell you that it isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme. Building a worthwhile site takes a tremendous amount of time at the beginning (believe me, I speak from experience here).

And, there are some tremendously successful web masters who make tens of thousands of dollars per month...but what if your child could build a site that makes five hundred dollars a month, maybe even a thousand dollars a month. Wouldn’t this be a great way of paying for college without the regular scheduling hassles and time requirements of a part time job at the local pizzaria?

Think of it. The web site is open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s open when your child is in class, when they’re asleep, when they’re studying and when they’re home for Christmas break. They could be paying for college while they sleep!

Also remember that there are many “local” organizations that have scholarships that are a little less well known. Police and Fire Departments, Walmart, and grocery stores. If you’re working in high school, check with your current employer to see if they offer scholarships. National fast food chains almost always have scholarship opportunities for high school kids who work for them.

Further away, remember College Board, and take a look at one of my favorite sites, www.fastweb.com. OK, I know fastweb has a bunch of ads, but some of the ads are beneficial. Remember that this is how they provide free services to you, so be generous. ALso, unless the scholarship is strictly merit based, your grades don’t exactly have to be great, usually around a 2.5 GPA will get you in...you just have to find them. Look on college websites as well, as they may list college specific scholarships.

And remember, once you get a scholarship, and get into college, the search doesn’t end there. Once you choose a major, start talking to your professors about specific scholarships that may be available for students in your major.

If you’re going to a “college town” where the college is a major focus of the city, there will be ample part time employment opportunities surrounding the campus. From fast foods, grocery stores, book stores and restaurants, most businesses that employ college students understand scheduling.

After you fill out the application, FAFSA will tell you whether your child qualifies for Federal Student Aid in the form of grants, student loans, parent loans, work study programs, etc. Your FAFSA report will make your college funding options very clear, and will generally be a relief if you qualify for funding. Like everything else, start early while more funding is available.

1. Get your basics at a community college and then transfer to a more “prestigious” college for your degree. Costs at community colleges are often much less than the 4 year universities. The only drawback here is that you miss the first two years of the “college experience” but life is often a trade off.
2. Get on an accelerated degree program. If you can handle the work load, getting out of college in three, instead of four years will save you a years worth of expenses. Some college offer accelerated degree programs, but even if they don’t, just take 18 instead of the traditional 15 hours per semester, and you have an extra 24 hours of classes (almost a full year). Throw in a couple of summer classes, and you’re done.
3. Go to the college that’s looking for you. Do you fit a special niche? Are you the first chair oboe player in your high school band? Do you have a special flair for computer programming? Search out colleges that want your special talents, and they can often be more generous with scholarships. If a college really wants you, they will do what they can to get you. Go where you’re wanted!
4. Loan forgiveness programs. OK, if you’ve already incurred the loans, seek programs that offer partial loan forgiveness in exchange for your talents as a new college graduate. Think of this as community service where you do either volunteer work or work at a reduced pay to help get part of your student loans waived. It’s usually a pretty good way to get some good experience too!
5. Finally, a word about text books. I’m a book hoarder. I rarely sold my text books back because I was thoroughly convinced that I would use them as a reference someday. After four years of undergraduate and three years of law school, I ended up with a garage full of used textbooks. For the record, I never once consulted my text book collection again. Back in the day, our only option was to buy a book, and the only way to save money was to buy a used book. Now there are various sources where you can rent a book, and speaking from experience, if I had the option, I would have rented. Rent Textbooks from Knetbooks.com!