After high school, almost everyone I knew headed straight to college. Some of my friends had their parents covering tuition and living expenses, while others took out hefty student loans.
But the idea of burdening my family financially or starting my medical career with a six-figure debt just didn’t sit right with me. I knew I wanted to take a different path.
In Ukraine, where I intended to enroll, I didn’t need an undergraduate degree, so I could go straight from secondary school to a six-year medical school.
But I decided to first put my dreams on hold so I could work and save up for tuition.
I put my education on pause to earn money
At 19, thanks to my year of freelancing experience, I landed a part-time content writing job at a startup. I worked afternoons and sometimes evenings at the company and freelanced from home the rest of the time. But a few months in, I realized my savings weren’t adding up as quickly as I’d hoped. My income barely covered my expenses, and med school still felt like a distant dream.
That’s when I sat down and made a plan. I calculated how much I’d need to cover my first year of school, and set a two-year savings goal. It felt ambitious, but it also gave me a sense of control over my future.
I made sure every dollar I earned had a purpose. Whenever I got paid, I split the money into separate buckets: tuition, an emergency fund, investments, and my monthly expenses.
This system helped me feel more in control of my finances and allowed me to build a safety net for unexpected costs.
After a year at the startup, I landed a new role at a different company within a month. This new position not only came with a higher salary but also a crash course in content marketing and strategy.
By the end of those two years, I reached my savings goal for school.
Balancing school and freelancing isn’t easy
Getting accepted and enrolling was a huge milestone, but the journey afterward hasn’t been easy. To stay financially afloat, I decided to continue freelancing. Balancing coursework with freelance projects proved harder than I expected.
The feast-or-famine nature of freelancing meant I said yes to nearly every project that came my way, sometimes to the point that I had to work late into the night and struggle to keep up with the deadlines. It didn’t take long for burnout to set in. I kept missing deadlines and losing clients.
Eventually, I learned to be more selective about the projects I took on. I also started planning my schedule, setting boundaries, and strategically utilizing my time, which helped me find my footing again.
I hope to graduate as a doctor and be debt-free
Living without loans also means that budgeting is a constant part of my life. I track every expense, turn my shopping lists into wants and needs, and eagerly wait for discounts. Sometimes, it means sacrificing small things I’d love to have, like a dinner out or a new pair of shoes.
While my classmates enjoy weekend getaways and social outings, I often have to stay behind, glued to my laptop to make sure I don’t run out of money.
Oftentimes, I wonder if all this hard work and sacrifice are worth it. But then I remember what it means to be independent and not tied down by a mountain of debt. When I graduate, I’ll be able to focus on the future without worrying about loan payments. That, to me, makes every late night, every skipped outing, and every budgeted expense worth it.
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