I'm not sure that's actually the wisest course of action at this point. No matter what, it's almost certain she won't get as much aid as before, and completely certain she won't do any better than before, and what she was getting before clearly wasn't enough.

It sounds like the author is now extremely well-positioned to get reasonably good jobs and really start her career. Doing so and continuing her formal education part-time may be the best choice.