treacheroustexan
Well-Known Member
Anyone here do/have done this? I attempted once before a few years ago after high school but I (thought I) couldn't do it. I am attempting again this fall and I'm already stressed out.
Working full time and going back to school?
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It will be worth it in the end. I didn't work full time but I had school, part-time job and an internship. It was hard but when I was finished and back to working full time I felt kind of guilty not working on the weekends. What are you planning on going back to school for?
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treacheroustexan
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I got a job in plastics right after high school with no clue what I wanted to do. I got a few certificates in some plastics classes and never went any further because I was working 7p-7a. I just accepted a new job a few months ago and I work in research & development for a plastic packaging company but I plan on getting a degree from a local college in mechanical engineering.
Yep. I did it for a while to finish up my degree. Worked full time and took classes in the evening. Honestly, it wasn't fun. However, I told myself that one way or another the next few years would go by and I could either give up some evenings and have a degree to show for it, or let the time go by and still not have a degree. It was well worth it, I would not have the job I have now if i didn't have the degree. It's also a confidence booster; both from taking on a challenge and following through and actually having the degree.
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treacheroustexan
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Congrats! Lucky for you being on days though, I work 2:30pm - 11 pm M-Thurs and 12-8:30pm on Friday
This will make it very difficult.
Congrats! Lucky for you being on days though, I work 2:30pm - 11 pm M-Thurs and 12-8:30pm on Friday
Well, depending on the school, that might make things easier. Full time colleges have more classes in the morning. A lot of schools also have online classes and are generally more flexible with schedules than they were 10-15 years ago. Just make up your mind that you're going to do it, follow through, and you'll be happy you did.
I also took a summer physics class while working full time. It was an entire semester's class crammed into 6 weeks. That was a rough month, four nights a week and like 3-4 hours per night. Was very glad to have it that one done.
Your hours might actually work. I typically worked nights and classes in the morning. I'm sure you get a ton of prereqs out of the way online as well. Most professors i had were understanding with work schedules. When I finally transfered to a university for chemical engineering I had to take a multi variable calculus course over the summer and it was not fun but luckily it was a morning class so I was able to get up early, study/homework, go to class and by the afternoon I was off to work.
pricelessbrewing
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I've been working full time and taking classes full time in physics and math. I always took more classes than I could easily handle with my time schedule and sometimes ended up dropping a class or two a semester, don't do it. Stick to 8-10 credits, especially if it's a heavy work oriented class like the physical sciences.
Silentdrinker
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I am... I was unemployed for a while, so I went back to school for a year on an unemployment program.
Now I have the easiest job I've ever had in my life. I work from home. I set my own hours. They don't care if you work, when you work, where you work as long as you get the job done. I don't have to call in sick or ask for vacation time. I just have to hit my goals. I can finish my day in a couple hours.
So its the perfect job for me to finish school. I lucked the f-out with this gig. I'm tempted to keep this job even after I graduate and get another job.
My mom went back to school later in life. She worked full time and took like 9 years to finish her bachelors. Now she's an engineer with Boeing and just hit her ten year anniversary.
Now I have the easiest job I've ever had in my life. I work from home. I set my own hours. They don't care if you work, when you work, where you work as long as you get the job done. I don't have to call in sick or ask for vacation time. I just have to hit my goals. I can finish my day in a couple hours.
So its the perfect job for me to finish school. I lucked the f-out with this gig. I'm tempted to keep this job even after I graduate and get another job.
My mom went back to school later in life. She worked full time and took like 9 years to finish her bachelors. Now she's an engineer with Boeing and just hit her ten year anniversary.
raadig
Member
I juggled Army and university commitments for a while so I feel your pain mate. It's worth it, its a stuggle now but the end goal is a successful career in your chosen field; which will pay for itself financially and with peace of mind.
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treacheroustexan
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input all!
I did it, but it was years ago and I also had children. It was really hard. Back then, only "traditional students" seemed to be around, so scheduling classes and work and family was difficult.
The hardest part for me was the weeks when I had to do my clinicals (I was in the health care field). Since there are no colleges nearby, the commute was hard but once we got into clinicals, some of the assigned hospitals/ambulance companies were hours away. That was the hardest part for me.
The hardest part for me was the weeks when I had to do my clinicals (I was in the health care field). Since there are no colleges nearby, the commute was hard but once we got into clinicals, some of the assigned hospitals/ambulance companies were hours away. That was the hardest part for me.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
I am with a college which is part of the State University of NY (SUNY) and our college - Empire State College, specializes in working with adult learners returning to college. We offer studies around your schedule - rather than have you find ways to meet "our" schedule. (We don't offer degrees in engineering).
No question, though, it is a challenge - after all, one 4 credit course, for example, ought to require something like 150- 160 hours of work or about 10 hours of work a week. That means a full load (typically 12 credits), is about 30 hours of work over a full semester... Unless you can plan and schedule for that kind of commitment you will find yourself very stressed.
No question, though, it is a challenge - after all, one 4 credit course, for example, ought to require something like 150- 160 hours of work or about 10 hours of work a week. That means a full load (typically 12 credits), is about 30 hours of work over a full semester... Unless you can plan and schedule for that kind of commitment you will find yourself very stressed.
Yep. I went back & got my MBA a dozen years or so after getting my undergrad degree. At the time I had a full time sales job, my wife & I had just opened a wine bar, & we our first child was about three!
Not much extra time on my hands but I managed to survive & graduated on schedule.
I did it when I was younger. Worked 6-7 days a week in a plastics factory, going to school nearly full time, remodeling a house, and raising a kid. Plenty of stress to be sure, but worth it.
Take time to rest often. Get plenty of exercise. Keep up a positive attitude. These will help keep you focused on the schooling and make home life smoother as well.
Take time to rest often. Get plenty of exercise. Keep up a positive attitude. These will help keep you focused on the schooling and make home life smoother as well.
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treacheroustexan
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input, sounds just like me but without the kid (but I have a cat to love so that's kind of the same, right?)
1977Brewer
Free Dan Hess.
No, kids love you back.
I worked full time from my junior year of high school, 2 years of community college, and then again when I went back at age 27. I suck at book learning so I didn't finish any kind of degree or certification.
Yes, it's exactly the same.
I actually came close to a nervous breakdown, but I didn't want to scare you. I have(had) an anxiety issue to exacerbate my problems, which you hopefully don't have.
If I'd had someone to tell me everything was going to be fine, I'd probably have been better able to manage my stress. Plus I've learned a lot about how to relax and enjoy the process of learning and growing, which seemed a huge struggle sometimes.
Looking back, it should have been much easier to control my stress. And when I say working 6-7 days a week, that was pretty much most of the time I was going to school. During one stretch I didn't have a say off in 3 months, and some of those were 12 hour days.
When I graduated and got a job with 45 hour a week and weekends off and no homework, I literally sat there unable to comprehend what I could do with such a vast treasure of free time.
I did a law degree while working full time. Balancing both school and a job can be brutal some times, and it's hard to find time for much else. But be sure to squeeze in a little "me time" to blow off stress. If you haven't already, learn to streamline your lifestyle and manage time. But it looks like you are doing the right things and you won't be sorry once you finish.
I did most of my college the traditional way, but finished up years later online while working offshore. It was tough while I was at work, easy on my days off.
