I'm 27. My case is bank fraud. I was young & dumb. That was 2007. It's currently 2013. I want to go to college, but not sure what my options are. I've stayed out of trouble since except parking tickets. My p.o. said she'd write me a letter of recommendation because I've been on probation for four years without any trouble. I work a crummy factory job making $9.32 hr. I'm a single mama & just want a better future for my child & me.

What do you want to do? What interests you?

What do you want to do? What interests you?. Psychology. Sociology. Cosmetology. Auto mechanic. Anything that makes a lot of $.

. Psychology. Sociology. Cosmetology. Auto mechanic. Anything that makes a lot of $.

Well, you can attend trade schools for cosmetology and automotive. Psychology and sociology will take many years of education before you can make a good living. How will you decide?

Except cosmetologists don't make that much $. They live off tips. I might as well be a waitress. Mechanic I could do, then I wouldn't have 2 hound people 2 fix my car because I could do it myself. How much do mechanics make & what's the job demand like?

Except cosmetologists don't make that much $. They live off tips. I might as well be a waitress. Mechanic I could do, then I wouldn't have 2 hound people 2 fix my car bc I could do it myself. How much do mechanics make & what's the job demand like?

I'll have to leave that answer to our auto mechanic experts, but it would depend on the area you live in.

Cleveland, Ohio

First - how will you support the 2 of you while in college?
Second - mechanics make a wide range of wages. It's a bit like waiting tables, where you can make a lot or practically nothing. A good waiter in a good restaurant who knows how to charm as well as get the food out quickly and correctly makes a TON.
Mechanics at dealers make more and have better working conditions like HEAT in the winter. The ones in gas stations and small places freeze all winter and boil all summer. You have to be strong. You should have quite a bit of car knowledge before you even start the course. Do you know a generator from an alternator? I'm all for female mechanics, but you have to like mechanics first, not just think in terms of dollars, or you will be just changing oil, probably for $10/hr.
Nurses make the highest wage for the amount of schooling (average in Ohio right now is $65,000). I don't know if you could get a license; it might be decided on a case basis. You could ask the Ohio Board of Nursing.