The first is important because it helps give you a starting point to gauge how much patience you’re realistically going to have when deciding to finish in two or four years. It’s not THE deciding factor, but it does play a role.

The second is important to run the cost estimates of what your loan burdens will be when you graduate if you quit working for two years.

Personally, if I knew that my job would provide enough to pay for my living expenses and tuition, and that I can do four years without burning out, then I would go that route. At 30k/year, it seems doubtful that it’d cover both sets of expenses, but 120k/4 years would likely significantly defray living and part of school expenses as long as you remain prudent about spending during that time. That’s what I did for undergrad.

But, at my age now, I don’t know if I could sustain 4 years juggling part time school and work: I would run the numbers on the full time option very carefully because I don’t think I could stand to be in school and earning a relatively low wage for 4 years.

Kelly’s point about not being guaranteed a high paying job post-graduation is very good, and it’s the safer bet to hold onto your job for the present. I would also look into whether or not they offer the option of switching to a full time track after 2 years if you change your mind partway through due to changes in the economy.

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