USA/Canada, Help me with college+relationship decisions

[Idahogirl92]

I'm having a real I-don't-know-what-to-do moment in my life and I feel like either decision would send me down different paths, so any advice I get will be very appreciated!

Here's some background:
My boyfriend lives in Alberta, Canada and I live in Idaho, US. It's almost 500 miles between us, and it's also an age-gap relationship- with 11 years between us. We met when we were traveling in a different country and we've been a couple for over a year now.
I'm not working currently because I quit my job to move in to his house and try to find a job there. It turns out it's really difficult to get a job in Alberta right now (economy, a big number of lay-offs, a huge fire that damaged a large part of the province, and only a small % of entry level/low skill work is legally available for immigrants). Also, I don't have any degrees or trade skills, so the chances for me of finding work there anytime soon are very very low.
My boyfriend makes pretty good money (oil field insulator) , he owns 2 homes up there, and he's very close with his family- so he doesn't want to move down to the States.
I had to come back to Idaho because my visa expired before I found a job, but I've started to think about college and now I'm not sure what I should do.
My boyfriend is AGAINST being long distance; he hates being apart for so long. We've talked a bit about marriage and he's the first guy that I could ever imagine a future and maybe babies with, but I worry sometimes that we're at different places just because our ages (24 and 35).


I need advice because I'm trying to decide :
#1 should I go to college in the US? I'm interested in getting a teaching degree and it would probably be (at least) half as expensive to pay in-state tuition compared to international tuition. I'm also way more likely to get financial aid and graduate with little, or possibly zero, debt if I stayed in Idaho,
but it could take a very long time, once I have my US degree, to use it to get certified so I can teach in Alberta
and it would take around 4 years to graduate, which is too long for either of us to consider staying together long distance
#2 should I move back up to Alberta and try one more time to try to find employment? It's unlikely and it would force my boyfriend to support me financially while I'm there, and it would deplete some of the savings I have that could be used for school
#3 should I look into universities in Alberta? It will cost alot more and I might not get any aid. Also, my boyfriend would still have to do the majority of things financially, and there still is a chance I wouldn't find any work even with the degree until I became a Permanent Resident.

I'm open to any opinions or ideas I haven't considered yet
thanks

[dizzyupthemeg]

Were you staying as a tourist for six months before or did you have some type of actual visa? You can't work as a tourist from America. At all. Working visas are damn near impossible to get in Canada for an American, and I believe even student visas have pretty strict rules about how many hours you can work.

My husband and I went the marriage route to close the distance. Once I was a permanent resident, it took about a month of seriously looking for me to find a job. I've been here a year now, and am considering going back to school. Most schools in Alberta consider you a resident after you live here for a year so it is much more affordable.

I think the biggest thing to think about is where you plan on living for good. The exchange rate is often not in Canada's favor so going to school in the states then moving to Canada means your student loans are in USD and will cost you more in the long run.

[Elizabeth123]

Idahogirl92: My boyfriend is AGAINST being long distance; he hates being apart for so long. We've talked a bit about marriage and he's the first guy that I could ever imagine a future and maybe babies with, but I worry sometimes that we're at different places just because our ages (24 and 35).

You have some serious discussions ahead with your SO. I think if you move it should be for your benefit...not just because of this relationship. Do you see yourself as a permanent resident of Canada even without your SO?

In #1...you say you've already been apart for one year...does that mean you only have three years or less to achieve your goal?
In #2...what has changed that would make finding a job easier?
In #3...have you both discussed this? (Does he plan to support you while you're unable to work?)

I can't offer much advice ..just this....communicate and listen to each other.