Single parents, how did you work full-time and completed your collegegl degree? Pointers Please?

Answer 1

I ended up moving back into my parents home. I was 20 years old. I made the basement into an apartment. i went back to work fulltime when my sons was 4 weeks old because I needed the health insurance for him and worked from 8am to 4pm (I only took a half hour lunch to pump breast milk and a quick bite to eat so that I could leave early) and went to class from 5:30 - 9pm 3 days a week and a full day of class on Saturdays. My mother took care of my son during this time. Because I worked full time my company reimbursed a good portion of my tuition and I had little debt when I was done. Yes I missed a lot of time with my son but I was able to complete my degree by the time he was 2 and he doesn't remember me not being around (he's 10 now). My mother was also exceptional at keeping my son on a schedule which I establish and she honored my choice to bottle feed him breast milk and feed him natural foods, etc. The key to finishing school while a single mom is knowing that your child has good stable care from someone who loves him and will respect your ideas on parenting. The rest is dedication and will power. 10 years later I am still working for the same company but I've moved up significantly and I work from home full time. I'm married now and I can send time with my kids and watch them grow up.

Answer 2

I even have been the two. My first husband and that i divorced whilst my daughter became 2 and that i became a single mom and worked. Now i'm a stay at abode mom and that i will enable you comprehend that being a single mom and dealing became by ability of a techniques the toughest concern I even have ever performed.. for me staying at house is a cake stroll..I even have 3 a house top now a while 14, 8 and four and in spite of the undeniable fact that at circumstances it is type of loopy it is by ability of a techniques much less complicated than as quickly as I had a million and worked. I even have all the sympathy for working mothers and single mothers this is not undemanding as a question of reality it is rattling difficult. My hats are off to you..save up the solid artwork and relax certain it gets much less complicated .

Answer 3

I am currently doing this. I try to use incentives, like if my kids (which I have 5) keep quiet long enough for me to study then they get a treat or a special outing. I was full time for two semesters, I took 1 hard class or 2 hard classes with 2 easy classes, like gym, or Art. This semester, however I am only enrolled in 2 classes because I have used up all the easy ones! Slow and steady wins the race. It is hard, but if you believe in yourself, you can do it. I also work part time (29) hours. I leave work to go to class and then return to work. I have a lot of pointers. There are so many things you can do! I also have all my older children (5, 8, 10, 13) sit in my office with me and we all do homework together in the evening. Wake up early in the morning before them to get some quiet time, etc.

Answer 4

You can take classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while your child/ children are in daycare at the college. After classes you have the rest of the day to study, do home-works and be with the child. Work longer hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends while a sitter, parent, or friend watch the child/children for a fee. If you don't have money then try working something out with another single mother or a friend in need of babysitting also to see if you can alternate and they can watch your child on some days and you watch theirs on other days. I suggested it to my friend and it worked out really well for her and she's graduating as a registered nurse this June.

Answer 5

I've been working on my associates degree since 2000 or 2001 going part time. I usually only take two classes at a time and sometimes only one when I have a harder course and have to drop the other one. I've been on a three year break from college and looking to go back this summer or fall. The break wasn't suppose to last that long but I needed one. I've still got 14 classes left. It seems like it's going to take me forever. Just got to keep at it. Roll with the punches.

Answer 6

Yes it is hard and yes you will be very tired but you can do it. I choose to take classes that met only once a week for three days a week for 10 months and i was only there for 3.5 hrs per day. Then you can still go to work and be off before the daycare closes get dinner done bath time and bed time in. or you could try on line class but that is still hard because you have to figure everything out for yourself. but either way you will figure something out we always have too!!

Answer 7

Without family support it was really rough on me but i did it. Here's how:

1st - I found a reliable babysitter in my building that I could trust with a key to my home in case she needed to go in and out of my home for whatever reason to retrieve anything for the kids, I had two then. This was a must, so that when I came home from work or school the kids were in their safe environment and by eight my babysitter had the kids bathed and in bed by the time I got home from school at night.

2nd - I kept up this routine up for five years until I got my BA and a better job. I had the good fortune to still have the greatest babysitter in the world who was my greatest asset and support after i recieved my degree continue babysitting for me till they grew up and were able to take care of themselves with her watchful eye still there for free. If it weren't for her I'd had gone crazy long ago. We consider her family now and she is on all the family gift lists. Thanks you Carmen Delia.

3rd - The main key is finding a babysitter u can trust close to home and sticking with them. Paying them on time and well for all the time u have to be gone. NEVER, absolutely NEVER shortchange ur babysitter or piss her off for any reason in the world, NEVER. This person is the most valuable person in ur life at this crucial moment for u and don't U ever forget that. More important than ur real family.

IF U FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS U'LL FLY THRU SCHOOL AND BE READY FOR A BETTER JOB IN NO TIME.

Answer 8

Take the time constraint off of yourself first of all. Realize that the fact that you are working toward a degree you will someday earn is a good and noble journey to be enjoyed every step of the way, not just at the end. If you have friends and family, work with them and their schedules to reach a goal that can be mutually benefitially for the unit as a whole. Also, look for flexible employers or appeal to your boss's professionalism to inspire them to work with you. Above all, be PATIENT and PERSISTENT with yourself and you'll attain your goal. Determination can get you everywhere in life. Worked for me!

Answer 9

Online classes and I ponied up for a good daycare. Also - I had other single mom friends who helped me a ton.. find some other single parents in your area, or if you could find some early childhood education majors that may want to come over and help out with you kids while you study or run to the library... you mayhave to pay them a few bucks, but beleive me it is well worth it.

Answer 10

I do online classes in the evening and weekends. I am currently working on my BS degree. I am a single mom of TWO kids, work full time, and shuffle them every where. Their dad isn't in their lives at all...and I still am working on my degree for my own goals.