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Majoring in Game Art and Design
12 years ago
General
I got some big news, so here it is:
I'm living and studying in Poland for approximately the next four years.
For a while now I've been scheming up a way for me to go to school and be financially independent at the same time. Because of my 23 months of deployment to Iraq, the money I'm entitled to from the military covers 70% of school costs, and contributes a certain amount of money each year for living expenses and books (still, only up to 70% of full active duty benefits). That's not bad, not bad at all, but I'm still left trying to cover the rest of the costs, and the way the job market is on "unskilled labor" and the jacked up school costs, that monetary figure can still be way into the five-digit range by the time I'm all said and done with my schooling. And, loans have never been an option to me, nope, won't do it. So, where can I get the rest of the cash to cover the 30%? Well, that's where general government assistance comes into play: through the Pell Grant (which is adjusted up to 5k dollars based on your total income the prior year). That is actually sometimes enough to cover tuition alone, that is, if you are going to a community college and haven't worked the year before that (which was something I evinced through my going to school this summer for “free”), but that is no longer the case for me now. Additionally, we all know how expensive just /existing/ in America can be, so even assuming all of my costs for school could be covered, I still had to account for general living expenses.
Long story short: I found a way. DON'T LIVE IN AMERICA.
So, I'm not going to. I'm staying in Poland, where my currency is effectively worth three times its value in America, and I can collect on all my benefits and schooling online. And, guess what, my plan WORKS! I was right. I can live a normal, comfortable life here in Poland, and focus on my studies like a human being should be able to do (which much of the world is able to do).
This last couple weeks I've been running around like mad getting things put together in time for me to start classes, full-time, and on this very Monday (Nov 25). And, I'm pleased to say that it's in a degree that I feel I can really be passionate about, and that many people have supported or suggested for me to pursue. I'm going to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a degree in Game Art and Design, and I think the program and school I'm going to be attending is really cool and ideal for me. Not only do they have what I interpret as an extremely powerful online school division, but they are a private school, and a such, the classes are highly relevant, focused, and all accelerated (five weeks each), which is something I really enjoyed doing (like my summer school classes and my language school classes). I always wanted to go the Private school route, since I feel it really cuts down on the redundancies and drawn out semesters.
Still, I have one issue that remains, I have to figure out how I can possibly stay in Poland for all this time. Again, I have schemed for this. A friend of mine managed to stay in Poland for two years by hopping boarders into Ukraine for two weeks vacation, and upon returning he was good to go for another three months of visitation allowed using his Passport. Eventually I may want to get a job and ignore that hassle, but one step at a time for me. But yeah, it's kind of a "loophole" but not really, since it has to do with national affiliations, and unless Ukraine decides to change their entire face on politics, I think I'm fine. Of course, it doesn't work for every country, so I'm lucky that Ukraine is so near by, but from what I've gathered, this should pose no problem to me.
So there you have it. I'm now mostly a financially independent art student who lives in Poland for the next four years. The first year maybe a little rough on funds (I have some money saved up, however), since I worked too much last year and didn't get the full Pell Grant this period, but after that, I'll be golden, I'm sure. If all else fails, I'll come back to America in humble defeat and continue my studies from there.
Anyways, thank you guys for reading and wish me luck; I'm really excited for all this.
Also, for any of you that are interested in seeing my very best works throughout the years, you can view my "professional portfolio" right here:
http://www.behance.net/BryanMischke
I'm living and studying in Poland for approximately the next four years.
For a while now I've been scheming up a way for me to go to school and be financially independent at the same time. Because of my 23 months of deployment to Iraq, the money I'm entitled to from the military covers 70% of school costs, and contributes a certain amount of money each year for living expenses and books (still, only up to 70% of full active duty benefits). That's not bad, not bad at all, but I'm still left trying to cover the rest of the costs, and the way the job market is on "unskilled labor" and the jacked up school costs, that monetary figure can still be way into the five-digit range by the time I'm all said and done with my schooling. And, loans have never been an option to me, nope, won't do it. So, where can I get the rest of the cash to cover the 30%? Well, that's where general government assistance comes into play: through the Pell Grant (which is adjusted up to 5k dollars based on your total income the prior year). That is actually sometimes enough to cover tuition alone, that is, if you are going to a community college and haven't worked the year before that (which was something I evinced through my going to school this summer for “free”), but that is no longer the case for me now. Additionally, we all know how expensive just /existing/ in America can be, so even assuming all of my costs for school could be covered, I still had to account for general living expenses.
Long story short: I found a way. DON'T LIVE IN AMERICA.
So, I'm not going to. I'm staying in Poland, where my currency is effectively worth three times its value in America, and I can collect on all my benefits and schooling online. And, guess what, my plan WORKS! I was right. I can live a normal, comfortable life here in Poland, and focus on my studies like a human being should be able to do (which much of the world is able to do).
This last couple weeks I've been running around like mad getting things put together in time for me to start classes, full-time, and on this very Monday (Nov 25). And, I'm pleased to say that it's in a degree that I feel I can really be passionate about, and that many people have supported or suggested for me to pursue. I'm going to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a degree in Game Art and Design, and I think the program and school I'm going to be attending is really cool and ideal for me. Not only do they have what I interpret as an extremely powerful online school division, but they are a private school, and a such, the classes are highly relevant, focused, and all accelerated (five weeks each), which is something I really enjoyed doing (like my summer school classes and my language school classes). I always wanted to go the Private school route, since I feel it really cuts down on the redundancies and drawn out semesters.
Still, I have one issue that remains, I have to figure out how I can possibly stay in Poland for all this time. Again, I have schemed for this. A friend of mine managed to stay in Poland for two years by hopping boarders into Ukraine for two weeks vacation, and upon returning he was good to go for another three months of visitation allowed using his Passport. Eventually I may want to get a job and ignore that hassle, but one step at a time for me. But yeah, it's kind of a "loophole" but not really, since it has to do with national affiliations, and unless Ukraine decides to change their entire face on politics, I think I'm fine. Of course, it doesn't work for every country, so I'm lucky that Ukraine is so near by, but from what I've gathered, this should pose no problem to me.
So there you have it. I'm now mostly a financially independent art student who lives in Poland for the next four years. The first year maybe a little rough on funds (I have some money saved up, however), since I worked too much last year and didn't get the full Pell Grant this period, but after that, I'll be golden, I'm sure. If all else fails, I'll come back to America in humble defeat and continue my studies from there.
Anyways, thank you guys for reading and wish me luck; I'm really excited for all this.
Also, for any of you that are interested in seeing my very best works throughout the years, you can view my "professional portfolio" right here:
http://www.behance.net/BryanMischke
