Life tends to happen unexpectantly, but that should never hold you back from what you truly want to do or be. A lot of the time, people will tell you that it’s impossible to achieve a college degree while raising a child. No matter how old or young you are, it is indeed a challenging obstacle, but not an impossible one. Having a child does not exclude you from high education. Although it can make it a little harder, there is a way to balance your family and college life:
Grants and Scholarships
One of the major concerns for parents, when they want to earn their degree, is money. They have the want and passion to succeed in higher education but do not have the funds to do so. However, there are a number of scholarships and grants specifically for parent-students. The scholarships help lighten the financial load holding you back. They also offer ways to pay for more than just education such as childcare, transportation, and housing.
Balancing Act
As a parent, you’re probably already stressed enough balancing the daily responsibilities of raising a child and working fulltime. The thought of adding classes, exams, and studying to your already heavy load can seem exhausting. In order to combat this, consider going to college part-time instead of fulltime so you can balance work, school, and taking care of your family. It might take a little more time to get to your degree, but this way you are not playing an unbeatable juggling act.
Create the Right Schedule
Nothing should stand in your way of building a better future for your family. This is why there are options and programs especially for parents earning their degree. Many of these programs adjust to your schedule so you don’t have to worry about missing your child’s pick-up time from school just to turn in a paper. There are also online classes for parents to consider that allow them to earn their degree on their own time.
There are a lot of reasons you can think of to not go to college as a parent. But there are even more reasons and solutions as to why you should go. Raising a family shouldn’t be holding you back from higher education, it should be your motivation.