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Balancing Work, School, and Family

In today’s world, society has put incredible pressure on obtaining a higher education. This is in addition to the rest of pressures of maintaining a healthy family and social life as well as for many of us, maintaining a full time career. This can all be a daunting task without proper planning and strict schedule keeping. We often find ourselves prioritizing one item over another, which can quickly lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. However, with proper time management, a stable and supportive support group, and a strong work ethic, you can achieve all the goals you set out to accomplish.

One of the most important things to consider before you set out to become a student with a full time job and a family is exactly how much time per day and per week do you really have. This should take some real thought and investigation into your daily routine. It is more than just cutting out television time, even though the average American spends nearly 4 hours per day watching television1. You need to make a list of what your priorities are and how much time you need to dedicate to each. As an example, I spend 40 hours per week at work, 10 hours per week commuting, 12 hours per week at the gym or exercising, and 49 hours per week sleeping. Without even including things like getting ready for work, cleaning, cooking etc., I am left with only 57 hours per week. Those hours can be quickly eaten up by any number of things.

Once you understand what your priorities are, you will need to asses how much time you are willing to dedicate towards school. This can be a very tricky task if you have been out of school for a while like most of us have. Reaching out to your advisor with these kinds of questions can help immensely. There are also practice tests online to gauge where you stand with the material you are about to learn. The eight week accelerated courses offered by Excelsior can be especially tricky. A good rule of thumb is to expect to spend ten hours per week on an average three credit course spread over fifteen weeks. For the eight week courses, this can mean you will need to spend twenty hours per week for each eight week course you take.

From personal experience, I have been able to handle two, three to four credit eight week courses without sacrificing too much from the rest of my life. I have tried three courses, but was forced to drop one due to the volume of work. For the sake of full disclosure, my work encourages me to pursue my education and allows me to work on school work with any down time that I have.

Another very important aspect to keep in mind is one that is often overlooked and under appreciated, your support group. Like the line from the famous prose, “no man is an island entirely of itself”2. A support group can be your significant other, your kids, your friends, your co-workers, and typically a combination of all of these people. All of these people will play a role in the success of your college endeavors. An important thing to keep in mind when you are feeling less than motivated is to remember that all of these people are making some sacrifice or contribution for you to succeed. Don’t let their sacrifices and contributions go to waste. Also, if you are paying out of pocket, the cost of online college should be enough to keep you motivated.

Overall, choosing to go back to school when you have a full life of responsibilities is a difficult and challenging one. The payout when you finish your degree will be fulfilling both personally and professionally. Start slowly, only after you have a full understating of what you are getting yourself and your support group into. Use the resources that the college offers when you need them, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Everyone, including the professors, understand how difficult balancing work, school, and family can be.

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