Juggling Work, Life, and School In an increasingly competitive work force the value of education and advanced degrees is seemingly immeasurable. Those individuals who can list their qualifications on their resume include work experience but they also list their completed degrees and training they have acquired from accredited universities. With the amount of qualified individuals entering the job market it can be difficult for hard working individuals who do not have the same lengthy list of educational accomplishments to compete with those who do, especially in programs such as nursing. For this reason, the United States has seen an increase in the number of individuals who are returning to school either to finish their education or to gain training and a degree in a new or related field of study as their current profession.
Returning to School For these returning students, the act of returning to school itself can be extremely difficult and stressful as most maintain their current employment. Not to mention these individuals who are returning to school are all adults that have adult responsibilities such as family and providing for oneself. In order to keep paying the bills every month and keep the cupboards stock with food for their families, these returning students will now face the challenge of balancing a job, typically a full time one, their everyday lives and the added stressor and time consumer of collegiate level classes. Juggling all of these different and important aspects to life can be more than a small challenge and can quickly cause some to drop goals or expectations concerning their renewed education. The first thing a returning student needs to do to ensure success and accomplish their goals is to set realistic and attainable goals. Returning to school is itself a worthwhile goal and the benefits of additional education are clear, but trying to achieve too much at one time can cause individuals to exasperate their energy and fall short of all expectations. Therefore it is vitally important to be honest when setting educational goals by understanding that there will be limits to what your available time and efforts will allow. Once reasonable goals have been set concerning returning to school a schedule should be created to best facilitate the achievement of those goals. Adults can properly manage their time even when priorities seem equal.
Remember to Relax Remember to schedule free time to relax and ease stress during the day. Again, exasperating one’s energy leads only to failure so while some may see scheduling breaks as a sign of weakness it is in reality a strategy for the successful. This being said, however, returning to school while still maintaining a job and family will take dedication and breaks should not be over scheduled as there is a lot of work that needs to be done. To counter the tendency to elongate breaks and free time, create a system of accountability by informing a trusted loved one of your schedule and asking them to keep you on task. The best way to stick with it when returning to school is to remember why you are doing so. Additional schooling will help you to land the jobs you desire and achieve the success you desire in your career and financial goals.