To Go.... or Not to Go...?!?! - Iowa Falls,IA

I am going to take accounting in january I will be working and juggling kids and going to school. accounting is the highest demand job right now.

If I can do it you can do it lol, I have a 5 yr old at home along with a 3 yr old and 6 month old. Are you in a rush, I am doing my over a few years time (Now I am already 76 credits in because I had a few years of school before kids) I am taking a class or two each semester, I LOVE online classes, I actually think they are easier. If you are up for it I would suggest dental assistant, If I could do that job i would but teeth give me the heebie-jeebies...lol

If you have enough drive to finish school you can make it work. I was so excited to start up school again, I love it, but I like to learn. I am anxious to finish up and get back into the working force after my youngest get into school about 5 yrs from now. :) Good luck and have fun. BTW I am a SAHM and have been for 5 yrs I have been out of college for 5 years also but now I am back!!!

Have you done your basics yet? Go back and do your basics. Go to your counselors office and take the Meyers-Briggs test to help you determine what interests you have.

Also, go to bls.gov outlook handbook it breaks down these careers with expected salaries, work conditions, education, job growth and demand in different areas of the us, what the day to day work day is like... it will really help you. Just type in the job name in the upper right hand search bar:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/

And ps... why do you have to be 100% responsible for running the home and caring for the baby?!?!?! Unless your fiance is deployed in the military and physically not there like, ever, he can pitch in and help just as much as you do.

You cannot go wrong in laying the foundation for your education and you can certainly explore the areas in which you are interested while taking the core classes .

I personally would go for pharmacy but that is because I'm a bit biased. I am a R.CPhT. It is in the healthcare industry which is always booming so there is almost always a job to be found.

There are a ton of different opportunities in that field as well. You can work in retail, hospital, LTCs, oncology, doctor's offices, PBMs, teach certification classes, etc... If you take it one step further and become IV certified it opens a plethora of other opportunities as well.

There is always need for well educated/credentialed pharm techs. The pay is decent and the job can be very rewarding.If you take some of the more advanced certifications that are available, the pay gets even better.

All in all you face a tough decision & can only do what is right for you right now. Hubby should be able to help out as you apply part of yourself to furthering your education. It is a big step. Here's wishing you the best in having the courage to make a decision and stand by it. :-) :-)

just start with your general classes, math, hist, etc, then while you're taking those you can further decide what to go for those are all good field, my personal opinion, the paralegal would be MY pick...but what are you most interested in?? you have the power if you want it!

I finished my BS with four kids at home and working full time (my hubby is a SAHD). It was hard, but not impossible. I would encourage you to go back to school if that's what you want to do.

Good luck!

I have no opinion as to what career field you should pursue, but I want to offer my support. I am going to school currently, and taking all my classes online. I am also a SAHM for my two children - ages 2 and 3 - and it is absolutely doable! There are times when the house doesn't get clean and I have to go a couple days with little sleep, but most of the time I find it very manageable.

In general getting more education is a very worth while endeavor. Starting school is very easy, finishing is the hard part. When I first signed up for school there were many students that started with me and only 3 out of 10 finished when I did at the same institution. So again starting is key, sticking to it is important and finishing is paramount.

As for major concentration, please don't think job but begin to think career. While you have listed several different areas of focus you fail to mention the things you are passionate about. You also don't mention the skills you have or the type of work environment or hours for working that would best suit your personality. Any one can complete a course of study if they just stick to it and any determined person can get a job in their line of work neither of these things equals being fulfilled in the workplace.

While you still have time and opportunity on your side, you should look into avenues that will give you the most satisfaction as a person and the money will come along with ideas on how to best profit you and your family while you are engaged in your area of passion in a forum that best suits your personality and desired environment. All of this requires more insight at the beginning for successful execution through the end.

Hm..kind of tough call. I got my degree taking online classes, working full-time and caring for 3 kids. Ok..so my house wasn't always spotless...and I really had no social life for awhile either. The blessing for you is that you have the time to concentrate on your classes during the day or evening and care for your son in between. Maybe it's just your fear of going back to school??

I suggest talking with the counselor at this college and asking them for help on what route to take for your degree. Some colleges will allow you to be "undeclared" for the first year (mostly basic classes at first..english, math, etc) that should give you some time to figure out what you want to do. Take a look at the newspaper and see what jobs are available in your area...then ask yourself this, "Can I handle doing that everyday for the next 5 years at minimum?", "What are their working hours and will they work for my family?"

Alot can happen in a year's time..the question is, are you up to the challenge?

I agree that you can start with your core classes. However, it sounds like you are going back to school and you might already have those under your belt. I would research each field and talk to people that are actually doing those things for a living right now. Stay away from people that "use to do that" as they might not give the best advice. Although it's great to go back to school, you need to be in it with all of your heart, or you and your family will suffer. Also, consider your time away from your son. Now, is the best time, while he is little, but if you do not have reliable babysitters for classes and study time...it will add more stress.

If you are not sure what to do right now you can get into a Liberal Arts program and just start taking all of your core classes (englishes, maths, science, history) for now. Once you get all the required courses out of the way you can start looking into what you really want to do. It will probably take a year or close to it to take all the required classes so you would have plenty of time to decide.

What about going back but just starting with one basic class that might cover any of these degrees? It would get your feet wet first before you jump in. Good Luck

Definitely take advantage of the opportunity you've been given. Take general ed. classes but add one class of interest to you. Time has a way of getting away from us and we find ourselves many years later wishing we had done it earlier. That said, it's never too late. But I would definitely take advantage if you have the opportunity now. Go for it!

If you are able to stay at home and go to school do it. I work full time and also am taking online classes thru the University of Phoenix, to be honest I thought they were going to be really hard but so far they aren't. The classes thru them on your community college maybe some different but honestly I have had no problem what so ever. So I would say go for it, just let them give you advice on what to take maybe just get your basics out of the way and then decide what you really want to do. Good luck!

I finished my BS with my daughter on my lap, she was almost 2 when I graduated and my son was due a month later. I was a SAHM then, well a nanny for one year and then a SAHM for the next year and took care of the household as well. It's really not as tough as it seems. Beacuse the school is for YOU. It's YOUR thing and no one can take it away. Now we run four nights a week with 3 kids activities. I leave the house at 645 am and get home most nights between 7 and 8. I also help my sister in law with my niece 3 afternoons a week. I am also working on my MBA. I figure it's just MY thing. So I try to do it when the kids are sleeping, but I want to get it done. So I definitely recommend to do it!!

I would suggest meeting with your advisor before starting (or someone at the school who can help). Most schools have career counselors who will ask you a series of questions about your strengths, weaknesses and interests and help you narrow it down. They may also be able to help you schedule your first semester classes so that the credits will apply to any major.

Good luck!
**Online classes are more difficult b/c you have to manage your own time rather than having a "set time" each week to meet. The coursework is essentially the same, but you must log-in and participate for specific discussions and topics.

I would definitely go to school. I have a full time job 2 kids with activities and started school at the age of 29 this past summer. It was definatley an adjustment but it has become just part of my rutine now. I was scared at first also but now I am so happy with my self for going. My self esteme has gone way up and I know all this will be worth it in the future. Only thing is unless you are really good at math I highly recommend you don't do that class online. I did that this summer and regret it. I failed it. But now I am doing the same class on campus at the community college on Saturday mornings and making all A's now. Good Luck with school if you decide to go. Remember it's well worth the time and work. :)

Hi H.,
I guess my first question is to ask why you want to go back. Do you plan on staying home with your children in the future, or will you be going back to work at some point? You have been given a great opportunity to stay home with your baby. School takes a lot of time and money. Many times, people then feel somewhat trapped because now they have invested so much into the schooling that they feel they MUST go back to work to make that worthwhile. Yet, their true heart's desire is to be at home with their children. You must weigh the costs carefully. As someone suggested, you could take one course and see how that goes.