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One thing you might consider is going to a community college and going for a certificate or AA degree. Are you already in a career you are seeking to be promoted in? Certificates of completion take anywhere from one semester to two years to finish. Community colleges are a lot more affordable as well.
My children were 18 months and 4 when I went back to school - omg was it hard yes yes yes!! I wanted my children to think of me as a good mom ..not a flunky! So I worked my butt off! I went to school arranged my classes so that I had a break in the middle of the day to study and do homework. My kidos were in daycare and I paid for a full time spot. I also worked on campus to help pay for daycare / gas / etc.
Have you thought of a online school? A friend of mine just graduated from kaplan. I am actually thinking of going back.
Go to Brigham Young University in Provo Utah; there, you can easily attend college full time and support a family.
One of my brothers, a youngin' like you, has a wife and two kids, goes to school 12 credit hours a semester and works part time and still has money left over to pay the bills and go have fun with his wife and children!
he pays 550.00 a month for a 3 bedroom apartment, and everything is included in the price ( advanced cable, heating, air,water, sewage included in the price) except electric!
As a mom of five, it's been very difficult to attend school and manage everything else. There have been countless times that it would have been easier to drop out, if only for a little while (it never is just a little while ~ once you are out too many things get in the way of returning). I truly think you just have to jump into it and say to yourself that you will not quit no matter what! I have had to work two jobs, while going to school to make ends meet and I'm still not finished. It just has to be something you think is important. It has to be a decision YOU make, no one can do it for you. On the practical side, go to a community college, it's much cheaper and for the first two years or so, most degrees have the same pre-req's.
I know what you are going through, and if you can't go full time and be productive at home, go part time, take one class...just keep going!
Like was stated, you need to find a community school that is adult friendly. Once you find it, you simply have to suck it up and work hard.
I work full time, am a member of the Army National Guard, am married and have two small boys and go to school full time at Purdue University in their school of engineering and technology. I also have a GPA of 3.0.
Almost anything is possible if you stop making excuses and start working your ass off. (btw, not aimed at anyone in particular, just at the general US population)
Like was stated, you need to find a community school that is adult friendly. Once you find it, you simply have to suck it up and work hard.
I work full time, am a member of the Army National Guard, am married and have two small boys and go to school full time at Purdue University in their school of engineering and technology. I also have a GPA of 3.0.
Almost anything is possible if you stop making excuses and start working your ass off. (btw, not aimed at anyone in particular, just at the general US population)
This sounds very much like my story. After leaving active duty I joined the National Guard, returned to work full-time, completed my degree online, while a single mother to two boys, one with severe special needs. I also graduated with High Honors. It can be done. I had no social life, very little money and we lived in a crappy, crappy neighborhood in a seriously decrepit walk-up apartment. But we endured. We made it. And life is better because of the struggle. It was an exhausting and humbling experience.
I don't have kids yet, but I earned my BA while working full-time. I'm in my last year of nursing school, and I've worked at least 32 hours a week the entire time. It's extremely hard (I haven't had a social life in years), but it can be done. One of the most important factors in a parent's academic success is help with the kids. Has you husband helped so far?
One big help was the fact that my school, a community college, has a lot of night, weekend, and online classes. The nursing program has a section that meets Fridays and Saturdays, with 12-hour Sunday clinicals. When I was taking my nursing prereqs, I took classes that met 1 night a week. I took chemistry on Saturday mornings.
If loans and grants can't cover your school expenses, you'll probably have to get a job. I work for a delivery service, and a lot of my co-workers, especially the drivers, are students, parents, or both. I can study when it's slow. If your sons are in school, would it be possible for you to work while they're at school, then take classes 1 or 2nights a week? Coud you work 3 days a week and go to school for the other 2? If they're not in school, could you take classes at night or on weekends, when your husband is home? Could you barter babysitting with a fellow student?
Whatever happens, good luck! Don't give up!
Last edited by Hatless Wonder; 06-29-2007 at 09:22 PM..
Reason: more information
he pays 550.00 a month for a 3 bedroom apartment, and everything is included in the price ( advanced cable, heating, air,water, sewage included in the price) except electric!
Thank you for the specifics! I can use this info. It's good to be able to compare the cost-of-living at different schools. However, I may have to try an online approach as I've exhausted my finances during this venture. Thank you again for your info.
Like was stated, you need to find a community school that is adult friendly. Once you find it, you simply have to suck it up and work hard.
I work full time, am a member of the Army National Guard, am married and have two small boys and go to school full time at Purdue University in their school of engineering and technology. I also have a GPA of 3.0.
Almost anything is possible if you stop making excuses and start working your ass off. (btw, not aimed at anyone in particular, just at the general US population)
Thanks for the encouragement! I definitely don't make excuses for failure. I want to succeed for many different reasons and I know it's my responsibility to succeed.
I actually have my Associate's degree from a Community College and I'm trying to finish off the Bachelor's degree.
I'm a veteran as well (34 yrs. old) from the Air Force. I hope that I can find the same kind of productive involvement as I had in the Air Force. I guess I should have re-enlisted.
Anyway, thanks for your reply!
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