Everyone’s in the Back To School spirit right now. In fact, this is the first year we’re joining in on the festivities – my little girl starts kindergarten this year!
However, this post isn’t about the kids (for once!). This post is about moms going back to school. I used to work in corporate finance for over 10 years and realized that that career no longer served me. I didn’t feel fulfilled. There were too many things about it that I truly didn’t enjoy.
I made the painful decision to quit (dropping to a one-salary household in California is no joke) and decided that I would take some time to figure out what I wanted to do next.
I’m over 30 years old. I’m a wife and a mom. And this week marks my third semester within the San Diego Community College network. I am pursuing my prerequisite courses in Psychology and will then apply for the Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy program at SDSU.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be going back to school. Being a student again has been such an amazing ride so far and through this post, I hope I can encourage you to consider expanding your education further as well.
First, the cons.
- You will feel old. The age gap is so real. A lecture about Freud and his rumored illicit affairs with other men sparked giggles among some students. Students will play with their phones even though the professor has explicitly mentioned that it isn’t allowed. Call me a prude, but if your butt shows under your shorts, it’s not college-appropriate clothing.
- Balancing a family life with school isn’t for the faint of heart. Time is a finite resource that gets burned through much quicker with family needs.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about all the pros.
- You actually care about what you’re studying: You actually want to be in class. You want to learn. Which is going to be a very different experience from having to go to college and pick a major because you have to.
- Your kids will want to emulate you: Every time I sit down to study, my 5-year-old will bring a book and tell me that she is studying too. You will be setting a great example for your children. Kids do as they see way more than as they are told.
- You will get your individuality back: It’s easy to forget who we are once we become moms. We forget our hopes and dreams while working so hard to raise the future generation. Going back to school will bring some much-deserved spotlight back to you. You will find an identity outside of your kids which will prove extremely valuable as they get older.
- You will feel young again: You will meet people and have conversations that will place you back in a time when you were young, had fewer responsibilities and less stressed. The con above isn’t really that much of a con anymore, is it?
- You get a re-do: While I enjoyed every single drop of my college experience, I wish I focused a little more on my grades. I get a re-do now. And how many moments in your life actually allow you to do that?
The first step is to go to your local community college website and browse the courses offered to see which ones interest you. From there, the opportunities are endless.
I hope this empowers you to go back to school. It’s never, ever too late. And don’t let anyone tell you it is :).
