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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I did it for my junior and senior years, minimum 15 credits, plus during graduate school. My full-time work was evenings and weekends, but my school schedule was always done to allow me some large periods of off time for studying/homework, such as classes 7am-11am, then 2pm-5pm. Graduate school classes were Tuesdays and Thursdays only, most work was independent, and I commuted to school about 90 miles on those days. Social life was minimal but I did meet my wife in a class as a Junior, and we dated some but she also worked full time while in college so there were no demands for more time together Neither of did the partying, football games and other typical college recreational time wasting. I have always managed to do fine on 7 hours of sleep, even now, maybe 8 on the weekend.
My cousin is doing that now but only 1x. He just turned six months but no sign of the world's most obnoxious alarm clock without a snooze button going off like clockwork every three hours. I have no idea how she does it.
Mine are two (boy, born about a month into my second semester of grad school), and six months (girl, pregnancy and birth spanning a couple of semesters I opted to take off, midstream, due to potential pregnancy complications).
My coursework has all been night school, and I tend to study/read/do projects and research through the night and early in the morning, before anybody but the infant is up.
It would have been preferable to complete my program prior to starting a family, but that's not how the timelines worked out.
Don't I know it, 7 year old, 2 year old, newborn, home, work, laundry, grocery, cooking, etc. etc.
That doesn't include the hours of study and homework and I was able to maintain a 4.0.
It really was worth it though for me, others may not think it is.
It's worth it for me, too, obviously, or I wouldn't be doing it. But it's anything but easy. Military spouse who is mostly available to be hands on deck, but is not always in the country or same time zone is another factor, but we're better off in that department than most.
I won't even pretend that my coursework gets the same kind of attention my undergrad got, when I was single, no kids, etc. Just not possible to have that same kind of focus, anymore. Now I have to split attention. Before, I didn't. It bothered me at first. It doesn't anymore.
Especially since most undergraduate degrees are not designed to be terminal degrees and if one wants a professional career in many fields one needs a graduate degree. With just a bachelor's degree one may end up working in Starbucks in certain fields.
That wasn't actually my experience at all, though it can be for some. And my undergrad degree is one of the ones people classically bring up as a "degree in barista." I actually used that degree professionally with no concerns about employability for 15 years post-graduation. Never had the "I can't get a job with this degree!" issue that people often assume about my undergrad degree. It was very versatile and served me well.
I am in the process of finishing a master's degree, but it's in a completely different content area, and is for a professional designation unrelated to my bachelor's coursework. I didn't need master's level coursework in my undergrad degree to be employable in the fields I worked in, but I am required to have one one for the field I've chosen to move into, because it's required for licensing/credentialing.
I don't think it is unreasonable for a young person who has no spouse and children to care for to work 40 hours and am in a full-time online bachelor's degree program. It's not easy, but it's nowhere near unbelievable. I'm a full-time student and I own a business (I work about 25 hours per week on it). I also homeschool my teenagers (who are mostly independent at this point and really only need a few hours per week of my teaching/facilitating time), have a volunteer obligation that I spend a couple hours doing, on average, and all of the things that go along with being an adult: a house to care for and maintain, a husband, random running around for household things and for the kids.
My ideal schedule (as in "this happens when the stars are in perfect alignment, but most of the time I'm scurrying around on the weekends trying to finish everything that needs to be done before Monday"):
Work:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Work 5ish hours in the morning
Wednesday and Friday: Work minimally in the morning, maybe an hour or two.
Sunday: No work.
College Stuff:
I try to get in a couple of hours most days of the week, usually after dinner. I'll sometimes/often catch up on Saturdays. I try to do my exams fairly early on Sunday mornings because the house is quiet and no one is coming or going or knocking on the door and getting the dog riled up. Yes, my neurotic dog is a consideration!
Homeschool/Kid Stuff:
I allocate an hour or two on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursday afternoons. Four hours on Friday afternoons are spent at a get-together with other homeschooling families. Sunday nights, my daughter goes to a youth group and I meet with some of the parents. My son travels many weekends for a competitive hobby, but usually my husband takes him or he goes with friends; a few times per year, we all go or I will take him.
Volunteer Stuff:
When it comes up. Most of the time, it's 10-20 minutes here and there several times per week. Occasionally, it's several hours over the course of a few days. A few times per year, it's a full weekend away.
Housework, exercise, training the dog, yard stuff, etc:
I try to do this in the afternoons.
Date Night:
My husband and I generally go out on Thursday nights for a couple hours for dinner or after dinner.
Me Time:
I'm trying to claim Wednesday afternoons as my own, to go to the beach (it's 30 minutes away) or just do whatever. It doesn't work out consistently or even much more than occasionally... I'm making an effort to make it a priority this month, though, except for the Wednesday after Christmas. We'll see.
It's hard to fit it all in, but again, I'm 40 years old and I have a lot more going on than just school and work. When I was 19, I worked full-time, went to school part-time, and had loads and loads of extra time. I could have easily gone to school full-time if I'd wanted to. That was before kids, home ownership, volunteering, etc. It's weird to me to think that some people think that's too much to juggle.
Especially since most undergraduate degrees are not designed to be terminal degrees and if one wants a professional career in many fields one needs a graduate degree. With just a bachelor's degree one may end up working in Starbucks in certain fields.
I think that's less about getting a postgraduate degree and more about amassing practical experience during college.
As mentioned earlier, I wrote for the daily newspaper while going to college. The week after I graduated, based on my experience, I walked into a writing job. Not at the newspaper, because I knew that was a dead end, but something that put me on my career path.
Degree and ability have little to do with one another. I've encountered people with MAs who couldn't write their way out of a wet paper bag.
I did it. I got my AS at the community college (took 4 years). Took lots of Bachelors accredited classes there, too.
Then:
Got my Bachelors online (not freaking Phoenix or Kaplan), it was a good college.
Got my Masters online at Pennsylvania State University.
I work 7-3:30. Usually arrive at work half hour early, did some school work. During lunch I studied. Came home from work, took a nap, walked the dog, did school work.
From Mon-Friday I did nothing but work and school.
Sat - Sun I did chores + whatever I wanted. If I would not have taken that time, I would have probably gone nuts.
I do not children and had a low key relationship.
It works.
I always wonder how people with children do what I did. But apparently it is possible.
He worked from 4pm-12 or 1am.
Morning classes.
Napped.
Homework/study before work.
He did this for two-years to complete his Bachelor's degree - took summer classes as well. The first two he did right after high school, took an 11-year break from college - - and then went back to school in his late 20's to finish to remaining two years.
It wasn't easy though. It was a difficult two years.
I too was a near-full-time worker (30-35 hrs weekly) but 12-16 were Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, the nature of my work (night manager and lifeguard at a YMCA) enabled me study time while working. Still, it was difficult with 21 credit hours the last four semesters, although 3 of those were ROTC. Aero engineering was no breeze, and if I could have done it over I would have, but finances were the driving factor, even though I was on full scholarship, as my parents did not subsidize/support me one penny (couldn't afford to). Because it was an AFROTC scholarship, I had to graduate when the contract stated (4 years) or face having to pay back the tuition and go in for four years, not as an officer but as an enlisted airman, and forfeit my pilot training slot. My GPA did suffer somewhat from my class/work/party load, again if I could get a do-over I'd take it. And probably still have too much fun. No GF to tie me down, though, so I was truly able to burn the candle on both ends AND in the middle.
I have a nephew attending college now, fewer hours (12) but longer work hours. Troublingly materialistic, he wants lots of money now so he's working two jobs despite living at home with zero expenses except maybe a high-maintenance GF; academic success has always been easy for him, but not now. I subtly cautioned him not to make the same mistakes I did but you know how that goes, and I expected the same effect on him that someone would have had on me 30 years earlier.
Last edited by SluggoF16; 12-05-2017 at 12:37 PM..
I don't understand why anyone would do that. No I am not talking from privilege stance, my parents had no money to pay for college. But if I had to work full time while studying, I would either extend my study years (graduate in 5+ years, what's the rush I am already working hard) & take up a small loan to make things easier for me. I don't think it is a wise decision to burn candle in both ends.
I mostly held work study job on campus that was flexible & low hours. The max I did was 20hrs/week at retail. It wasn't too bad but towards end of semester I felt it. During my grad school I worked full time but took part time class. My parents didn't have any money to give us. We had Pell grant & scholarship for college. Lived at home and carpooled with other students & packed my lunch from home.
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- and then went back to school in his late 20's to finish to remaining two years. 
