It is no secret that having a college degree helps a person’s ability to earn more money. The Pew Institute released a report in 2012 abut this phenomenon. People with a bachelor’s degree or higher earned an average of $45,000 each year. People who only had some college make much less at about $30,000 each year and people with only a high school degree average salaries around $28,000. The vast majority of people with college degrees say it was worth worth it. Nearly 83% of people with these degrees say it has “paid off.” Moreover, for Millennials who have college degrees are doing pretty well. In 2013, nearly 90% of Millennials who had a bachelor’s or better reported having full time jobs. Certain career paths require more than just a bachelor’s degree. For people who want to go into teaching, for instance, getting a masters degree in adult education is a very good way to go.
Dealing with the Problem of the Work/School/Life Balance:
Many people who back to school for advanced degrees such as a masters degree in adult education, do so with full time jobs and more complicated home life than people who go to college right after college. Even most medical and legal students put on hold the rest of their lives until they complete their professional education. If you are going back to school while working and raising a family, you have a host of challenges many other students do not face. It is possible to succeed and not lose your mind.
- Find other students who are in a similar situation to you. It may be hard to see it but you are not the only student who has gone back to school after starting a career and family. Seek out support from other students who are doing the very same thing. Form a study group. This support network can be really helpful when you feel like you are being pulled into a thousand directions. They can help commiserate and also offer their suggestions for making it all work.
- Do not scrimp on your sleep. You have work, school and your family to take care of, it is much too each while getting a degree like a masters degree in adult education to neglect your basic needs like sleep. This may make time sense at the time but will hurt everything you are trying to do. You need your rest to take in all of the information you are getting in your classes. A lack of sleep has been linked to a number of heath problems from decreased immune system function to increased stress levels. Your life has enough stress without losing sleep and getting sick will put you back further.
- Enjoy your classes. When you are in class, do not spend that entire time looking at the clock and thinking of all the places you need to be and things you need to be doing. Relax and enjoy your classes. Seriously, this is time you are spending on yourself and you do not get any more done by making yourself miserable in the process. Plus enjoying your classes will reduce your stress level and make you a happier person. If you are going back for a masters degree in adult education, really get the most of your classes. This is the best thing you can do for everyone.
- Be nice to yourself. You may feel selfish by going back to school but you are also doing the right thing for you and your family. It is easy for people to make you feel bad but do not let them. Only you know what is best for you. Other people may be jealous that you are doing something they wish they were doing. Your coworkers may not understand but remember, you are more than just your job.
Going back to school for a masters degree in adult education is a huge undertaking that will take a lot of energy and dedication. It is even harder when you are working to juggle a family and career. Have faith in yourself, take comfort in your support network and be good to yourself and you will make is a great experience.