We all make decisions in our life that affect our friends, family and work. One of the biggest decisions I have recently made was to continue my education. I am working full time and going to grad school part time through WVU. Wake up, go to work and sit in front of the computer for 8 hours. Drive home, eat dinner, sit in front of the computer some more. Finally, it is time for bed. Doesn’t my life sound like fun? Juggling a full time job and grad school does not leave a whole lot of time to do much else. Moreover, my grad program is all online. Needless to say my laptop and I have grown very close - it rarely leaves my side.Many people have a hard time getting back into the routine of schoolwork after being away from it for so long. With me, it had only been a few years but I was still feeling overwhelmed and struggled with the logistics of writing papers. It was as if I had forgotten all I learned in my English classes. I became concerned with what laid ahead. Luckily, I got in the hang of writing again and realized it can be done, I can do this! The trick is really to balance things out. An important lesson I have learned is to stay on top of assignments. Procrastination will get you in trouble and make it hard to manage a social life, or really, just life in general. Stay focused, do not get into a rhythm and start to relax, it may get you in trouble.
Do you have reservations about starting something you may not be able to finish or that you are taking on too much at once? I have learned to enjoy the experience, absorb it rather than focus on only the end goal. School is hard work but it can also be a good time. I like to think of all the knowledge I have been able to share and put to use at work.
My advice to anyone looking to go back to school while working full time is to choose a program geared toward working adults, stick to a plan for dividing your time and ask for help from your professors, work and family. It is most important to have a support system; whether it is your spouse or family. If you have a family, I suggest talking with your spouse and explain the journey ahead. It will not be easy to juggle work and school while being a mom or dad, but in the end, the final result will benefit you and your family. There will be many nights where your husband or wife will be frustrated having to take on more household responsibilities. It is best to avoid all of the surprises by laying this out on the table beforehand. Make sure that it will be manageable as a family unit and that all parties are aware of the sacrifices which must be made.
With my graduate program all online, it has left me the challenge of forcing myself to sit down, do schoolwork and plan life around it. It is quite the learning experience but it does have many benefits and I am sure that I will be more disciplined and a better planner because of it. So for anyone who is deciding to go back to school, do it already! GOODLUCK! As far as big life decisions go, sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the end goal, but stick with it because it will be well worth it.
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It will pay off in the end! Good luck. P.s. The picture illustrates this post perfectly. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement! It doesn't help that I am already sick of schoolwork. I know it will take me longer to graduate because I am working full time but I have to stay focused and think of the good things that will come out of it. And as soon as I saw this picture, I had to use it!
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