Working full time and need to finish my degree

[Imakcerka]

Just wondering how many people are in this boat. I need to get my degree finished. I have the job I want but I want to move up. I can't unless I have my degree. My boss has already promised the move in writing during our last assessment and all I have to do is finish my degree.

I almost feel like I have to get it done ASAP, and I'm already feeling guilty about the time away from the kids. DH thinks I'm being silly since my boss is also offering me 4 hours of paid time off a week to help me get it done. I still can't shake the feeling that I'm literally going to be so busy my family might suffer.

I want to hear from people that are working going to school and making it work.

[BlueLeaf]

I'm sort of in the same boat, except I don't have paid time off to do school work! That's awesome! I am doing my degree online which gives me more flexibility, but sometimes it feels very overwhelming. I just keep reminding myself that it's for a limited amount of time - about a year in my case, and I'll be in a much better place once I have that piece of paper. I'm also hitting the ceiling in my carer unless I have the degree, and that's my motivation - I can move to something with better pay and more interesting work.

[Imakcerka]

I was thinking about online, however there are some things that will not fit for my learning style to do it online. So I've been checking out the classes and it looks like I could do about half of them online. Which might help me ease into it. I have a little over a year to go.

[BlueLeaf]

It's been an adjustment for me to do online classes. I'm a perpetual procrastinator (here I am on MDC when my assignments are due tomorrow at midnight!) so I have to be more disciplined and self-motivated.

[LilMomma83]

IT will be hard...I look at it as it is a short period of time, and just getting it over with quickly my kids will not even remember it down there road...I stress and feel guilty for 1 class a semester or 5 classes a semester so I might as well take 5 and get it finished sooner! I personally feel online classes take much more time from my family...I might physically be away more with classroom classes, but, with online I am home and my kids are crying for me etc instead of being with daddy or at daycare and knowing mama isn't around/available and being ok with that - they just don't understand when mama has to sit in front of the computer/books etc instead of play.

[Imakcerka]

Thanks Lilmomma, I can imagine it might be more difficult. When I studied for my GIAC and now my CISSP, I can sit outside while the kids play Bball or tag. But that's only about an hour of straight study time. I think I'm just going to go half online and half in class. Hopefully that will help me decide what's best.

[springbride]

I just went through this same thing.  Working full time, in school full time, a mom the rest of the time... and I was pregnant. 

It sucked, but it was totally worth it.  You can do it.  

 

[Imakcerka]

I think I can too. Since I'll be using my post 9/11 GI Bill, the extra money will be helpful too.

[Indigo73]

I am working and school both full-time.  I kept putting it off, but finally decided it may never be a "good" time and to just do it.  When I am buried under books and the kiddo is doing his homework next to me.  I just smile and remember that this is temporary.  

Of course, I now have two professors who are encouraging me to consider grad school seriously.  I may be at this forever.  

[greenmom4]

Originally Posted by BlueLeaf 

I'm sort of in the same boat, except I don't have paid time off to do school work! That's awesome! I am doing my degree online which gives me more flexibility, but sometimes it feels very overwhelming. I just keep reminding myself that it's for a limited amount of time - about a year in my case, and I'll be in a much better place once I have that piece of paper. I'm also hitting the ceiling in my carer unless I have the degree, and that's my motivation - I can move to something with better pay and more interesting work.

This almost verbatim.  I actually probably don't "need" my degree as much, anymore, but there is definitely a better career path if I do.  Plus, I have a really hard time with the idea of paying back student loans if I don't have the degree (does that make sense?  I feel like I'm not making sense today).  My graduation date is next Nov and I just need to buckle down and push through it.  I will be SO happy when I'm done, though!

[meemee]

how much time do you need? a year? or two? 

figure out what kind of person you are. fast and furious? or slow? i tried the fast and furious and found i could not maintain it over a year. i was losing too much time from dd. i didnt have ANY me time.  it was not worth it for me. i had to take it slow. to me the school was not worth it. i had to figure out my life coz i have many years ahead of me. a year wouldnt have been too bad with fast and furious. but i could tell it definitely had an effect on my then 7 year old. what was hard for me was discovering i couldnt pay that much attention to her homework. i had places to bring her and make childcare work, but after a year i could not handle missing out on her life. and i felt i was. wasnt able to volunteer in her school, or go on field trips. i was able to do a little but not much. i got tired of always juggling. that is no way to live. in fact it even had an affect on my health.  

start S L O W. seriously. dont rush into the first semester.

what is your family support like? who will watch your dds? how will you do with so much time away from them? are they emotionally dependent on you? 

you can do it if you really WANT to do it. but make sure you have backup.

[Imakcerka]

You know I applied to a school, got accepted and then didn't do anything from there.  I didn't sign up for classes, because I was nervous of the time required.  I know I just have to jump in.  I'm good with lots of work and not so good with little work.  I'm great with deadlines and getting things done.  I think right now I'm honestly just avoiding it.  It's stupid I wish I wasn't like that. 

[Indigo73]

Originally Posted by Imakcerka 

You know I applied to a school, got accepted and then didn't do anything from there.  I didn't sign up for classes, because I was nervous of the time required.  I know I just have to jump in.  I'm good with lots of work and not so good with little work.  I'm great with deadlines and getting things done.  I think right now I'm honestly just avoiding it.  It's stupid I wish I wasn't like that. 

I did this a couple time before I took a deep breath and am doing it.  Some days are really rough (you know those days when you are scrambling at 6:45AM to find the keys that your nephew hid in a shoe and then ends with you stumbling in at 10 PM realizing you've had a yogurt & a handful of trail mix all day but you tip toe into your son's room to kiss his forehead then smooch your husband before you collapse in bed to do it all again tomorrow) but others aren't (the professor says "I'd use this for a writing sample of my grad app if I were you." and you walk around glowing)  

I am about to enter finals week.  I will be so glad to have the four weeks off for winter break - get my freezer stocked up, reacquaint myself with the gym, go to karate class with the kiddo and read a couple trashy novels just because I can.  

But I am also looking forward to my classes Spring semester.  Just two semesters to go, I so excited and have really contemplated grad school.  

Maybe it's working out because my almost 10 year old is extremely independent or that my husband is domestically inclined, but it was obviously the time to just do it.

Good luck! 

Edited by Indigo73 - 12/13/11 at 7:05am

[goldfishkate]

I went back to school to finish my bachelor's when my son was 4 and my daughter was 1 1/2.  I went to a local university that offered classes online and in person. One of my young coworkers was going there as a traditional student and she convinced me to enroll. I was really scared my first semester but I jumped in and quickly proved to myself that I could do it. I just graduated last weekend Magna Cum Laude. Finishing my degree was one of the best decisions of my life. I changed jobs earlier this year and I'm now working in my field and making more money. I'm not going to lie. It was hard at times. I wouldn't have been able to do without the support of my husband and family who watched my kids so I could go to class, write papers and study. I hated missing time with my family but I know my family is proud of me and our lives will be better. I guess what I'm saying is just jump in. It won't be as bad as you think. Just keep a detail schedule of all of your assignments and due dates and you'll be fine. If you find yourself in a jam and you're having trouble, talk to your professor. Professors are willing to work with you. I wish you the best and I hope you decide to enroll.   

[Imakcerka]

Thanks all, I know I can do it.  I'm trying to convince myself to enroll for spring.  I'll let you all know if I do it.

[Ragana]

Best of luck to you in your studies! I'm just checking out Mothering before getting kid #2 to school and then finishing my paper for this semester. I am in a paralegal certificate program currently. Do my kids love me being gone an extra evening - not really. But they know I'm doing this to further my career. And they were too young to remember when their dad was gone 2-3 nights per week doing his school. They are in school during the day, so I just try to squeeze in studies around my freelance work that I do at home (approx. 30 hrs./wk. plus/minus depending on the week), housework, and a babysitting trade after school. DH is a teacher, so someone is usually working part of the time in the evening anyway, and they are doing homework, etc.

I grew up this way, too, with my mom in night school, and I think it's actually ultimately a positive for the kids, both money-wise if you get a better job & motivation-wise seeing you trying to improve your situation.

PS I can only manage one class per semester & I do not take online classes (finally gave up on that after trying a couple and never following through. The face-to-face interaction with other students and profs is what I really like.)