Paying for school is a concern for most students and I am no different. The first year of classes I was able to pay for tuition with a Pell Grant but paying for books was a different matter. The Lord, however, was creative.
One book that I needed was the APA style Publication Manual. It "just so happened" that the library where I work weeded out a slightly out of date copy. The cataloger knows I'm a writer, so she gave it to me just in case I needed it for reference some time. I thought it was odd since most of the publications I had dealt with required MLA, but I accepted it for the "just in case" factor.
Another book was only $10 instead of $120 because I bought a slightly out of date, used copy. The first 80 pages of the newest edition were available on Google Books, so I was able to check for differences in content. No substantial changes had been made, so I was able to use the older version without any problem.
The rest of my books for the year were covered by finding used copies online, renting from Chegg, and a surprise gift of money from a family member. The family member had no idea how badly I needed money for school, they just wanted to give me something to show me they loved me. Because of my innate frugality, I was able to buy school books, put gas in the car, buy a few groceries, and get a bill paid that was due.
"Give us this day our daily bread" hasn't exactly been my prayer, but it has often been my life. Along with continuing my secular education, I am continuing to learn the lesson that the Lord provides - in His own time.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Laptop
In August, 2010, I started back to school to get a bachelor's degree in business. I had decided to take online classes from Athens State University and, for the first semester, my old desktop computer was fine. Unfortunately, toward the end of the semester, they did a system upgrade which severely handicapped my access to the program. Although a nontraditional student, I am just as broke as any traditional student can be so going out and buying something new, or even used, is out of the question.
My nephew is a computer geek and a magnet for computers, so I talked to him about what I needed and showed him the system requirements on the school's site. "No problem," he said. "I have an old laptop that I was going to put on eBay, but you can just have it." Wonderful! However, he said he needed to work on it a bit before he gave it to me because he had cannibalized some of the parts, or memory, or something computerish. At least I had one on the way, so I patiently waited and limped through the rest of the semester.
Just before the next semester started, I still didn't have a laptop. My nephew meant well, but he had decided that the computer he was going to give me wouldn't work and he was going to build something for me. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
That's when I started praying. I really needed a laptop so I could take the courses - or I was sunk. It needed to be a laptop because that way I could take it to work with me and still get my assignments done or turned in on time. We have only one vehicle, so sometimes I would have to wait an hour or so before being picked up from work. Having a laptop meant I could continue with assignments instead of wasting time just hanging around. I was tempted to panic, but chose to trust instead. The Lord had a week to provide.
The day before classes, I was on my old desktop checking emails. I was trying to close gmail, but my computer was getting hung up and it wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly, a little window popped up in the email chat feature. It was my nephew and he wanted to know if I still needed a laptop. He had just been given a box of computer parts and, offhandedly, they asked if he could use a laptop. He started to say 'no', but then he remembered me. I wasn't expecting much, but if it would work then bring it on.
I am now typing this on a practically new Toshiba Satellite! Classes were so much easier to access that I felt like it has truly been a life saver. I am thankful to the Lord for making my nephew, Josh, a computer magnet and providing just what I needed when I needed it.
My nephew is a computer geek and a magnet for computers, so I talked to him about what I needed and showed him the system requirements on the school's site. "No problem," he said. "I have an old laptop that I was going to put on eBay, but you can just have it." Wonderful! However, he said he needed to work on it a bit before he gave it to me because he had cannibalized some of the parts, or memory, or something computerish. At least I had one on the way, so I patiently waited and limped through the rest of the semester.
Just before the next semester started, I still didn't have a laptop. My nephew meant well, but he had decided that the computer he was going to give me wouldn't work and he was going to build something for me. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
That's when I started praying. I really needed a laptop so I could take the courses - or I was sunk. It needed to be a laptop because that way I could take it to work with me and still get my assignments done or turned in on time. We have only one vehicle, so sometimes I would have to wait an hour or so before being picked up from work. Having a laptop meant I could continue with assignments instead of wasting time just hanging around. I was tempted to panic, but chose to trust instead. The Lord had a week to provide.
The day before classes, I was on my old desktop checking emails. I was trying to close gmail, but my computer was getting hung up and it wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly, a little window popped up in the email chat feature. It was my nephew and he wanted to know if I still needed a laptop. He had just been given a box of computer parts and, offhandedly, they asked if he could use a laptop. He started to say 'no', but then he remembered me. I wasn't expecting much, but if it would work then bring it on.
I am now typing this on a practically new Toshiba Satellite! Classes were so much easier to access that I felt like it has truly been a life saver. I am thankful to the Lord for making my nephew, Josh, a computer magnet and providing just what I needed when I needed it.
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