No Idea How to Handle Jobs and School

[AnnaNova]

so i KNOW that both me and my husband HAVE TO go back to school.
he was affected big time by the economy, and has to put up with a low paying miserable job.
i have a degree, but i only moved to the states shortly before we got married, so most of my education and experience come from eastern europe. so far my experience has been that employers dont take it seriously at all, even though i had my degree evaluated and and got a certified US equivalent.. this is very frustrating because i slaved away over books and worked my a** off for professional experience just like everyone else did.
im looking at nursing school now, he was looking at engineering related degrees, but now is thinking of maybe doing a physical therapy assistant (faster, only 2 years and pretty decent pay) and then eventually physical therapist...
we both have to keep our current jobs to some extend, and i have no idea how we're gonna balance work and school. our son is 14 months now, and it's already killing me that i have to be away from him so much working full time.
i have to stay full time until i complete some prereqs, and once i get accepted into nursing school i can go down to per diem. but even completing the prereqs is already breaking my heart, just one class is gonna be 2 days a week 2-2.5 hrs each class, and then homework and clinicals and stuff...
theoretically, i could put off school, but i want to have a decent job by the time my son goes to school, so we could afford things like extra activities and school clothes and books and everything else (right now nothing much remains after we pay the bills).
i have absolutely no idea how im going to survive this. i need to sign up for a class next week if i want to take it in summer, and it makes me cry just thinking ill have to be away from my son for additional x hours a week.
how, oh how can we possibly do it, and still have time for our son???

[Drummer's Wife]

Can you work on the pre-req's that can be done online first? Or have you already taken them all? Are you applying for UNM or SFCC, if you don't mind me asking. I'm hoping to start the nursing program at SFCC next summer, and have been taking classes online - but switch to on-campus courses in the fall.

[AnnaNova]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Can you work on the pre-req's that can be done online first? Or have you already taken them all? Are you applying for UNM or SFCC, if you don't mind me asking. I'm hoping to start the nursing program at SFCC next summer, and have been taking classes online - but switch to on-campus courses in the fall.

woohoo, a fellow soul in this area...
i was gonna apply at sfcc, but im hoping to test out of math and engl since i have another degree, so currently the only one i can and need to take is cna, and that's not online, i looked at the summer schedule and it seems like its on campus (plus there are clinicals as far as i understand).
i know i can take a&p online, but i cant do it this summer - because of math.
how many do you have left?

[Drummer's Wife]

I need to take the CNA course, CPR, and A+P. All of which I registered for the fall semester last night. I'm glad I did right at midnight, b/c by morning the CNA classes were all filled for summer and fall. If you could drive into ABQ., they have more options for the nurse's aid course.

I did the math and English courses at CNM - but I bet if they won't transfer your courses they will let you test out - b/c most of the subsequent classes (like the sciences) say Eng 109 or whatever, or equivalent score - so take the placement test.

Right now I'm enrolled in Office Essentials and Nutrition. From talking to a student who is in his last semester in the nursing program at SFCC - even though they only require the few pre-req's before being admitted, you will still need to take the others (A+P II, Micro, Speech, humanities, etc.) at some point before you graduate so he highly recommended getting them all done before you start the first semester of the nursing courses. So, that's what i have been working on - and should have everything except the gym credit done by next summer. I still plan on applying after this semester when I have the required pre-req's done.

If you do end up needing math and/or english - CNM has a lot more online courses, so you could probably do both this summer while staying home with your LO.

hey, and when you do the CNA course - most of the classes are one morning a week, and then clinicals are one day a week for the last 5 weeks. The one I enrolled for is class on wed from 8-11:30 and then clinicals at the end of th semester on Fri. 6:30-12:45. Even if you took A+P at the same time, you could work it to having school only 2-3 days a week.

Good luck figuring it out - I know they have a daycare there, I just haven't looked into it beyond the tuition chart.

[Carita]

what about an advanced degree program instead for yourself, like MBA or MAT? less credits and your degree would count.

[AnnaNova]

i was thinking of that actually, but i want a degree that would be in demand ALWAYS, im not sure what master's to choose because of that. plus, i already work for a hospital doing administrative stuff, so the hospital will pay for my nursing school in return for work, i dont want to take out loans...
but yes, thats naother option ive been considering if i can just find a degree thats marketable in my area ...

[sparklett]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Can you work on the pre-req's that can be done online first?

[AnnaNova]

Originally Posted by sparklett

i wish... right now i can only take one class - certified nursing assistant while im waiting for the complete and detailed evaluation of my transcripts and going over some math so i could test out of it. that class is not offered online, plus there are clinicals.
and without math its just 2 other prereqs i need to take so i would be starting nursing school like spring or next fall, and i still will have to work some hours and my son is not even gonna be 3 ...

[sparklett]

I'm not quite sure what else you can do. It's not impossible to go through this with a child in tow... my SIL started nursing school with a 3-year-old, had baby during her last year of school, and had another baby during her first year as a nurse.

She *probably* could have planned all of that a bit better, but they all got through it and everyone is doing great. They hired a sitter and relied on family for support through all of this. I remember that she was only a week past her c-section and had to go to class. Not good, but she did it.

I think what I'm trying to say is that if you really want this, you can do it. You might miss out on time with your son, but that means that you need to make the most of the time you DO have with him. Plan fun outings and make sure he understands that he is very important.

Good luck!

[AnnaNova]

i know, i know, it is all possible, and i will be doing it so we all could have a better, happier, more secure future.
it's just that the idea of leaving him for another x amount of hours a week in addition to the time im already away while at work is just ripping my heart apart. even now, when im with him im sometimes thinking so hard on how to 'make most' of our time together, that in the end, after the thinking nothing good comes out of it...
i know that he will be fine, my mil is with him now on most days when im at work and he looooves it there, and often cries when its time to go home, and i really couldnt wish for a better environment for him... the question is, how am i going to survive? i have to keep working probably full time while doing my prereqs (im guessing 2-3 semesters depending on how ill be able to play it out), and then i can go down to per diem when actual nursing school starts, so that might be easier... but i dread these coming classes, and balancing that and work...