Going Back to School?!?! - Farmville,VA

Well the only advice I can give you is, just go do it!! Even it it takes you several years, your kids will still be in elementary school when you are finished!! I used to think the same way you did, and I never did go back to school, and I kick myself for it. Would it be possible for you to take some classes on the weekends, over the internet? I have a friend that did that, but not in the same field as you. Maybe you could get one of the teens at church to sit with your kids while you did this?

Look for a program that is designed for adults. I went back to school for my bachelors in social work when my twin girls were 3. It was a one night a week class and occasional "weekend college class" where I went Friday night and all day Saturday.The program was 2 years long and I was technically done in 20 months. The program was set up in modules and everyone in the program went through the modules together. So we were a family who supported and helped one another through the entire process. With in that two years the class went through three births and one wedding (mine). I am looking at going back for my masters in social work as well and have found a program that is similar in set up. Its on the weekends and will take three years to complete but it is focused around adults that are working full time and have families. Good Luck!

I think you should wait until they are in school. Then you can devote your time to the classes and not take away from your kids. I know several who started and failed with small ones. Better to get great grades later.
Also, I know many counselors with Master's degrees. By the time they pay overhead(insurance, rent, utilities, advertising, continuing education credits, unfilled appointments, and insurance filing) they are not making near what they imagined. That $60-100 suddenly becomes not much more than they were making.

I just started back to school this summer at ODU. I have decided to go back to get my license for teaching. I am taking 2 classes a semester because I too am working full time plus I have 3 children ages 9,6, and 23 months and just found out that # 4 is on the way. My husband is really supportive and helps out with the kids when I am in class and when I need time to study and do homework, I also have friends and other family in the area that would help out if my husband was unable too. I am only taking classes in the evening and I am taking them on the campus because I learn best in a classroom setting. I do not have the motivation to take online classes. The program I'm in is about 60 credits too so I know it will take my a couple of years but I am ok with that. I do plan to take a few extra classes in the summer because I have summers off from my job since I work in the schools system. You really need to know that this is what you really want to do at this time and have the support of friends and family or it will not work for you. If you are really passionate about it then there is always a way to make it work. It is time consuming and you will be tired a lot more than you already are. You are also going to lose some time spenting with the family because you have to do school work but you have to think about how when it is all said and done how it will better your family. I hope this helps if you have any other questions please let me know. Oh and if you decide to go to an actually college campus to take your classes just to let you know that if you need financial aid to go to school you will need to take at least 2 classes cause this is consider part time. Not sure how online classes work so I can't answer any questions about that.

I went back to school when my son was a year old until he was 3. It was hard and I had to take lots of shortcuts to run my household. this wasn't for a Masters though, so not sure if this will help. Also, I wasn't working full time too, but I was averaging 12-18 hrs a semester.

Look into online courses. It is a true time saver and very convenient. Most are self paced. You have to be really disciplined to stay on schedule. But don't let that scare you. You don't have to go to any classrooms - your classroom is mostly receiving written out lectures from the professor and being sent reading/research assignments online. But think about it - instead of driving to the school (30+ mins), finding a parking spot (5-15 mins), walking to class (5 mins), sitting for an hr long lecture, walking back to your car and driving home again, you are looking at 2+ hrs away from home already!

Get ready to lose some sleep. Once you put your child to bed, study until you can't, then wake up at least an hour or 2 before you either have to get ready for work or your child gets up (whichever comes first).

Take a day each week to plan your week, like Sat or Sun - what you'll do for meals, when you'll do housework like laundry. Make casseroles ahead of time during the weekend when your husband is home (I guess that's on Sat) and just heat them up during the week.

this isn't very eco friendly but start using paper goods when you eat. That will save you more time. You could always recycle your paper goods too.

Your laundry room will become your best friend. We lived out of our dryer and stacks of clothes on the ironing board for the longest time.

Good luck to you!

Why not try taking a class and see how it goes? If you never try, you never will get your Masters. Even with 1-2 courses/semester, you will eventually! Are you dead set on doing something with your degree? Or are you open to other means of bringing in an income? My company specializes in helping families with extra income, so feel free to message me if you'd like more info. Good luck with your decision and with your little one(s)!

Would you be able to do it if your husband was doing most/all of the childcare? Or - if he wanted/needed to go back to school in the current situation could the two of you make it work? If so, then I would figure out how and just flip the gender roles.

Check out collegeplus.org. My kids are starting this soon and I'm going to take a shot at it too one of these days. We haven't started this yet but I've looked into it a lot. I wish you the best!! OOPS!! I think they only offer BA's. You can check and see.