Friend in desperate need of advice(loan/school)

Hi I have a very close friend who is living in the San Francisco area. He wants to go to a culinary school, loves cooking and is great at it, but he has only PT job, has no parental support, and the loans for these schools are quite expensive.
He also has about $8000 in debt. Is there any hope for him? Can he get a loan, and finish the course? (year long)? Any advice? Recommdations? Opinions.
He is down and out and I really feel bad for him.
Thanks

[Nicko]

Well I am not going to say that $8,000 is not a lot of debt, but I have friends who have school loans that our over a hundred thousand dollars (medical school loans). I think it is possible, but your friend needs to seek the help of a finacial advisor to help figure out what would be the best plan for him.

Hope that helps.

[layjo]

Yeah, I belive $8000.00 is big chunk of money to have to worry about! I myself have not applied for a school loan, but have for other loans and or credit and if I alredy had a substantial amount of money on loan, I couldn't get much progress in acceptance with the other loans. But, I would suggest looking at different scholarships that maybe the school offers or that different organizations offer and get advise on how to reduce the debt. Get a full-time job if possible!

My friend,

Perhaps this person should view his problem in a different way to obtain a solution.

He is already in debt and must have a job to repay. If he truly loves food and our profession, he would do well to find work in it. I'm sure he will progress quickly if he is serious.

If he wants to attend culinary program and does not have the money, I would advise to apply for scholership, loan or whatever they may have to pay tuition. He may add on to debt he has now. But again, if he truly wants to be a culinary professional, it will be an investment in the future. He may never have to woory about money agin. They say to do what you love and the money will come. I believe this is true. I wish him well.

[Greg]

Some companies in the foodservice industry have tuition reimbursement programs. Your friend could gain valuable practical experience and receive a free or discounted culinary education at the same time.