Ask Aviva: Juggling Masters

Dear Aviva,
My husband and I can’t seem to make ends meet. I know a lot of people have this problem. We are very, very frugal and can’t seem to tighten our belts any more. I am considering going back to school. I already have one semester of college credits from when I was single. But I am interested in going for a Masters, so it will be a very long haul. Is it a realistic goal to meet while still being a good wife, mother and homemaker?

-Possible Juggler

Dear Possible Juggler,
Good for you! You have just completed the first step of attaining a degree—wanting it.
Many people are in your situation, and many people have met their goals, while many have not even embarked on the road that would lead them there.
Now that you’ve passed the first test of wanting it, it’s time to apply. Go online and just apply. Apply to any undergraduate program that seems like it could work for you. Apply to vocational programs that you might be interested in. Keep in mind proximity, cost, and level of difficulty. You should also look into distance learning. That has worked for a lot of moms. The commute time of going to real-time classes adds up. And in your situation, minutes are a hot commodity.
I suggest jumping in. But jump in to ankle-deep waters. Pace yourself and take just one or two classes a semester. Don’t get me wrong—this will still add stress to your life. But as long as you set up your environment properly, the stress won’t make you distressed.
If you are not going to do an online degree, make sure that you schedule your classes realistically. If you have to grab your books and head off as soon as the kids are hopping off the bus, that’s kind of a bad recipe. If you can avoid this sort of situation, avoid it. Otherwise make sure that you have the childcare covered. I don’t want to see you scrambling last minute every Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. to farm out each kid to a different neighbor.