Coming from a cult that actively discouraged even basic education at times, it can be daunting to even contemplate trying to pursue higher education. What is it like to be a non-traditional student? How can I afford to go? Are there ways to pursue this without the support of my parents? How do I even apply? In this episode we answer your questions as submitted through the Shunned Podcast Facebook group, r/exjw on reddit and so much more. We talk strategies on how to finance your education, how to figure out what you even want to pursue, the unexpected benefits of the college experience, etc. You will hear the real world experiences of not just our main guest as she shares her experience and expertise in this field, but you will also get to hear four other short real world stories at the end to help round out your knowledge as you understand what this is like from people that have actually done it.

This is the first in our ExJwHelp series. The goal is to do a follow-up episode on careers that one can pursue without a college education if that isn’t for you, as well as self-employed or small business endeavors that you can strive for. The ExJwHelp series is part of the Cult Recovery Coaching program offered at ExJwHelp.com and the hope is to grow it to include a wide variety of topics that can help as you move forward in real and actionable ways. Resources Mentioned: Everything Starts With FAFSA for Federal Student Aid – FAFSA Scholarships – National Merit Scholarship Corporation, AmeriCorps, myFuture Career Exploration Assessment Tool – O*Net OnLine Places to brush up on skills or learn about various skills: OutSchool, Khan Academy, Udemy, SkillShare

Feel free to leave a comment of support for participants on the Shunned Podcast website HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

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You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.