Alright guys, sorry if I ramble on for awhile. I'll do my best to stick to the point. First, a little bit of background:
I went to school for 2.5 years as a biochemistry major. I was completely stupid about it, and jumped headfirst into a university and lived almost entirely off of debt. This 2.5 years (along with a 3 month study abroad / internship that cost me 8k, which I unfortunately must regret) cost me 50k, and I have virtually nothing to show for. Not to mention, I didn't like my major. I was racking up enormous debt for something I had no interest in. That's the bad news. The good news, I woke up and now know exactly what NOT to do in college, and I maintained at least an average GPA (3.0). Before I moved back home, during my last semester, I started to gain a huge interest in programming after teaching myself some java on a course I stumbled on online. I thoroughly enjoyed what I was learning and decided to switch to computer science.
I moved back home with my parents to transfer to a school nearby. This way, when I re-enroll in Fall 2017, I only need to worry about tuition, which is roughly 10k a year. Rent and food are free at home, and I am not willing to give that up given my financial state.
In a worst case scenario, assuming I received no grants, no scholarships, and didn't work at least part time to pay for some school, I would graduate with 80k in debt after 3 years (not counting interest that has accrued). I think, however, I can realistically keep that number down to about 65-70k at most. I qualify for some grants, I am going to vigorously be applying for scholarships, and I will be working part-time during school, putting as much as I can to offset the costs. I think I could easily pay 4-5k per year, at least.
So, do you guys have any additional advice to give to someone who is financially stupid but desperately trying to change that?