Every day when you wake up, do you find yourself overwhelmed with a to-do list that just doesn't seem to end? From the moment you get out of bed, you need to get the kids ready for school, change diapers, make breakfast, do laundry, pick up the dry cleaning, meet with the air conditioner repairman; the list goes on and on. With so much to do, when do you find time to do something for yourself?
If you are like many mothers out there, your children have taken over your first priority in life. There will be times when you can step back and decide to take an afternoon for yourself, but you will most likely decide to relax instead of pick up a book and study. For those who have left the workforce in order to raise their children, you have made a large sacrifice, and chances are, your marketable skills have gone down in value due to being out of practice for so long.
I'm sure that the idea of returning to school sounds great, in theory. Who wouldn't want a better position with more responsibility, respect, and a higher salary? There is no doubt that the key to securing a great position is through a college degree, but where do you start when you have been out of practice for so long?
I, like many other mothers, found myself in the same position. I wanted to return to school so that I wouldn't be confined to the role of caretaker forever. I knew that once my children were old enough to attend daycare a few days a week, I wanted to pursue personal and professional interests of mine that had been put off for a few years. I wanted to find a way to make a great example for my children as an empowered woman, while still balancing a household and the checkbook.
I enrolled in an Associate's degree program after my two small children were four and five. At that point, one was in pre-kindergarten, and the other was eager to follow in his footsteps. I learned that the balancing act got a lot more difficult once the school workload was added, but I truly enjoyed my courses and how they made me feel in charge of my life. Taking courses at night was a great option for me; the kids were either asleep or playing with their father after he returned home from work.
After completing my first degree, I decided I wanted to dive right in and enroll in a Bachelor's degree program in communications. After graduating, I re-entered the workforce as an account executive at a public relations firm. I was also able to freelance on the side, which freed up some time in my schedule for the children and being a mother and wife.
If you are doubting whether you will have enough time to go to class while taking care of your family and tending to all of your other responsibilities, there is an answer. Luckily, the alternative for working students, or students who take care of their families, is enrolling in courses that can be completed fully online.
Although it is a big investment, the ability to go to school and earn a college degree is very valuable. There are plenty of scholarship programs available that allow mothers to go back to school in order to earn their college degrees. When you add up the cost of your degree, minus the money you received for scholarships, you will realize that the overall cost does not outweigh the benefits.
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