A Gen Xer was tired of balancing 2 jobs and earning under $50,000 a year so he went back to school. The decision 'changed his life,' he said.

• Lloyd Morgan was struggling to make ends meet moving aggregate jobs and earning nether $50,000.
• He went backmost to schoolhouse successful hopes of landing 1 higher-paying job.
• Now he's moving successful local politics and earning $78,500 annually.

In 2014, Lloyd Morgan was struggling to support his woman and 3 children. He worked successful early puerility education in Philadelphia and held a part-time occupation connected nan weekends, contributing to a family income of nether $50,000 annually.

Morgan decided he had to effort thing different. At nan property of 36, he discontinue his school occupation and enrolled successful Penn State Abington — a suburban field of Penn State University.

"This determination changed my life," Morgan told Business Insider via email.

Ten years later, Morgan completed a bachelor's and master's grade and is earning $78,500 a twelvemonth moving arsenic nan head of organization relations and argumentation improvement for Pennsylvania State Sen. Jimmy Dillon.

Morgan is among nan Americans who person grappled pinch nan aforesaid life choice: Should I spell to college? Business Insider has interviewed respective Americans who person gone to schoolhouse later successful life and said earning a grade helped them onshore higher-paying roles. Others said it didn't unfastened up doors and strapped them pinch student debt.

In caller years, immoderate group person decided assemblage isn't worthy it owed to nan costs of higher education and occupation opportunities for workers without degrees. For galore people, going to college tin beryllium a awesome financial decision: College graduates person a considerably higher income than group pinch a precocious schoolhouse certificate and person a little unemployment rate than group without degrees.

To beryllium sure, a assemblage grade doesn't guarantee a higher-paying job. But immoderate graduates, for illustration Morgan, in installments their degrees pinch providing a profession boost.

Losing 1 occupation forced him to research different options

In 1997, Morgan enrolled astatine Dean College successful Massachusetts, but aft 2 years, he decided that schoolhouse wasn't for him. After completing capable courses to person an subordinate degree, he decided to time off Dean College without a bachelor's degree.

While he was enrolled, Morgan worked astatine nan school's children's center. He said this turned retired to beryllium a "great decision" because it helped him recognize that childcare could beryllium a bully profession fresh for him. In 1999, he applied for and landed his first nanny job.

Over nan adjacent decade, Morgan worked arsenic a nanny successful nan suburbs of Philadelphia and connected nan Upper East Side of Manhattan. He said he earned arsenic overmuch arsenic $70,000 a year.

"With an subordinate degree, I was capable to make awesome money that allowed maine to unrecorded connected my ain successful NYC for galore years," he said.

In 2010, Morgan was laid disconnected by nan family who employed him. He said he near connected bully position pinch a awesome reference missive and severance pay.

After struggling to find different nanny occupation that paid capable to support his family, he explored different options. He went backmost to activity successful early puerility acquisition successful Philadelphia and started moving weekends arsenic a server successful a state club.

By 2014, Morgan and his woman were struggling to support their 3 children. He was moving 7 days a week and burned out. After reasoning it over, he decided that going backmost to assemblage mightiness springiness him nan champion chance of landing a dependable and better-paying role.

"I learned that this life was not for me," he said of balancing aggregate jobs astatine once.

In May 2017, Morgan graduated pinch a bachelor's grade successful psychological and societal subject from Penn State Abington. While pursuing his studies, he decided that he wanted to activity successful authorities — and that having a Master's grade would put him successful nan champion position to execute this goal.

In August, Morgan enrolled successful a master's successful societal argumentation from nan University of Pennsylvania and quit nan part-time state nine server occupation truthful he could attraction connected school. He said this put a batch of unit connected his family's finances.

"We had nutrient stamps, Medicaid, and WIC — we were connected low-income programs for our utilities," he said. "We needed each nan thief we could get truthful I could get to nan decorativeness line."

In 2018, astatine nan property of 40, Morgan earned his master's grade and began interning pinch a section Pennsylvania authorities representative. Eight months later, he was offered a full-time legislative adjunct position successful nan aforesaid office.

Morgan said nan salary wasn't awesome — astir $31,000 a twelvemonth — but that nan domiciled offered "top-notch" retirement, insurance, and picnic benefits.

Since then, he's continued to activity successful Pennsylvania government. In September 2023, he accepted a domiciled successful nan agency of Dillon — moving arsenic head of organization relations and argumentation development. Morgan said that nan salary bumps he's received complete nan years person made a large quality for his family.

A downside to his acquisition was that he graduated pinch student debt. Morgan said if he continues making his payments — and remains a nationalist servant for astir six much years — nan remainder of his indebtedness will beryllium forgiven. He's eligible for nan Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which typically forgives student indebtedness for authorities and nonprofit workers aft 10 years of qualifying payments.

In nan coming days, Morgan's main attraction is connected whether Sen. Dillon will beryllium reelected. If Dillon doesn't, Morgan could suffer his job.

If this happened, Morgan said he would prosecute jobs successful nan offices of different politicians. However, his advancement toward 10 years of payments would beryllium halted until he recovered a qualifying occupation for nan PSLF program.

Overall, Morgan said he's satisfied pinch nan measurement his profession travel has played out, moreover if it's not what he expected.

"I ever said galore years agone that nan only measurement I was going to beryllium capable to spell backmost to assemblage was if I won nan lottery," he said. "Well, I didn't win, and I still went backmost to college. So it is possible, pinch successful outcomes."

Have you gone backmost to assemblage later successful life? Have you recovered financial occurrence without a assemblage degree? Reach retired to this newsman astatine jzinkula@businessinsider.com.