Jordan, here is my
for what its worth. My brother did something similar to what your first option entails. At the end of the "internship" the company he worked for offered him a full-time position and offered to pay for his school if he continued to go part-time until he graduated. He decided to take the job and still works there while they pay for his school. Granted the salary he is/was making is not as much as he will make when he actually has the degree, but he makes enough for his house and bills with money left over. Not sure if that make anything any easier, but I figured I would throw that out there.
