Ok, over the last few months, on various threads about school, I keep seeing posters here and there saying, "Well, I went to school full time while working full time also."
How, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, HOW IS THAT EVEN FUCKING REMOTELY POSSIBLE??? I mean, I read those comments and I want to yell, "You are a lying liar who lies!"
Please explain this to me. I work 42 hours a week as an accountant. I have been back in school since 2010, and I'm still just working on my prereqs (100 and 200 level classes). I take 2 classes in the fall/spring, and one class per summer session. (Or this semester, one regular class, and regular tutoring in algebra so that I can dust off my rusty skills and test into calculus in the spring).
I cannot conceive of how someone could possibly work 40+ hours a week AND also take 4 (or more) classes a semester. Please. Really. Explain?
My classes are 4 hours a piece, so it's three classes a semester. I only did that once, but it honestly wasn't much different than the semesters I only took 8 or 9 credit hours
I got my BA while working full time through a mix of evening and online classes. It was hard and I didn't have much of a life, but it's possible. Graduated with a 3.8.
Now going back for my masters which will be even harder - but it is something I am passionate about so I will make it happen.
No kids though - I know that makes a huge difference.
I did that before when I was going to massage school. I would get up at 4:30am, drive 1-1.5 hours to work, leave at 3pm, drive 2 hours to my school, stay there until 10pm and then finally be home at 11 or so. I did that 5 days a week and then was in school Saturdays from 7am to noon and Sundays from 7-4.
I was not a nice person, married to a guy who could care less if I wasn't home and didn't have kids. There is no way on God's green Earth that I will do that ever again.
I went to night classes after working all day. It sucked and meant wearing the same nylons/outfit for 15 plus hours several times a week. It wasn't fun or easy, but I was single and childless, so that helped.
I got my BA while working full time through a mix of evening and online classes. It was hard and I didn't have much of a life, but it's possible. Graduated with a 3.8.
Now going back for my masters which will be even harder - but it is something I am passionate about so I will make it happen.
No kids though - I know that makes a huge difference.
Post by schitzengiggles on Sept 26, 2013 9:54:42 GMT -5
I work full time and am in Grad school. When I say I work full time and go to school "full time", it is because I normally take 2 classes a semester, which is all it takes to be considered a full time grad student. All of my classes are online, so I spend a lot of night hours on them, after the kids are in bed. It is the same for my husband, who also works full time (and then some, and does freelance) and is considered a full time grad student (also all online).
Between our jobs, hubby's freelance, and a 5 and 6 year old, we would not be able to go to grad school if the classes weren't online!
Post by revolution on Sept 26, 2013 9:56:09 GMT -5
I did it the last 2 years of college b/c I needed health insurance and I was too old to be on my parents. So I waitressed 35-45 hours a weeks and took 15-18 credits a semester. It sucked. Early classes, late shifts, doubles on saturday and/or sunday. no sleep, ever.
I did it for my MBA. I worked full time as a Business Analyst for a Fortune 20 company and my husband traveled for literally months at a time working on nuclear reactors. So I was home alone, with 6 pets and holding down the fort while in grad school full time. It wasn't fun at all. I was tired and cranky alot. However, I'm super glad I did it.
In college (12-15+ credits/semester) I worked retail, at a library, in food services plus had unpaid internships. It worked out to working approx. 40 hours/week and 10 hours of internship. I basically slept like 4 hours a night and tried for an hour nap during the day between classes. Luckily the library job was easy and I was able to do homework there.
I was young and didn't really have much of a life outside of those things. One semester I worked 40 hours a week, took 17 units, and a 150 hour internship. It wasn't pleasant, but I did it. and I graduated that semester. I did it because once you hit 7 units, you pay the same amount. I didn't want to pay for an additional semester.
I did my masters while teaching full time, and I took four classes each semester. It was really hard. I still don't know how I did it. When I graduated I was a much nicer, happier person when I graduated because I was so stressed. Often I would work, come home, and just lock myself in the bedroom for two or three hours each night to get work done. Usually did all my discussion questions for one class on Monday, the next class on Tuesday, and so on. The weekends were reserved for marathon paper witting sessions. I literally had no life. But I graduated a semester early and saved $5k off my tuition bill by doing so.
Post by EmilieMadison on Sept 26, 2013 10:03:48 GMT -5
I got a BS degree in 3 years and worked full time for at least half of the time I was in school. I took full time courses (14-24 semester credit hours, which was usually 4-5 courses per semester depending on whether or not it had a lab). I didnt have a 9-5 job. I worked late afternoons, evenings and weekends most of the time. I did schoolwork anytime I could. I didnt have much of a social life. I didnt sleep a lot. I was exhausted. But, yeah, it's possible.
A ton of people do this. I am not sure how it is so unbelievable lol
I agree...as I explained above, my husband and I both work full time (me 40 hrs, him usually 50-60 including freelance work on the side) and are both in full time grad programs (which is 2 classes at a time, not 4, but there is a reason it only takes 2 grad classes to be considered full time). And we have 2 kids. Our classes are online, so we spend many nights at our computers after the kids are in bed. Often we are up until midnight or later, and we get up at 5:30 for the day.
Not always fun, but definitely very doable, and I know plenty of others doing the same.
I work 40+ hour weeks (4-10 hour days) and take an average of 16-18 credits per term. I take all of my classes online, but I spend nearly all of my non-working time watching lectures and doing readings/classwork.
Don't even try to tell me its not the same as taking classes in person. Its a real college, getting the same degree, taking the same classes as anyone else.
Post by EmilieMadison on Sept 26, 2013 10:11:36 GMT -5
Another thing to consider is that many people, myself included, HAD to work full time to, you know, pay for life. Not being a full time student would have meant not being able to continue in my degree program because it wasn't a "go at your own pace" thing. You take all the required courses when they're offered or you are out. Being a part time student also meant losing grants. So, I sucked it up and did it. LOTS of people do. Do you really think we're all liars?
A ton of people do this. I am not sure how it is so unbelievable lol
I agree...as I explained above, my husband and I both work full time (me 40 hrs, him usually 50-60 including freelance work on the side) and are both in full time grad programs (which is 2 classes at a time, not 4, but there is a reason it only takes 2 grad classes to be considered full time). And we have 2 kids. Our classes are online, so we spend many nights at our computers after the kids are in bed. Often we are up until midnight or later, and we get up at 5:30 for the day.
Not always fun, but definitely very doable, and I know plenty of others doing the same.
The programs for grad school that I am looking into are 2 classes a semester and are called "part-time", is yours a two or three year program?
Post by stephlove on Sept 26, 2013 10:14:56 GMT -5
I finally graduated in May, and my last semester I had 4 classes and worked 40 hrs a week. It helped that I work at the university, but I would be on campus from 8am-10pm most days. It was a long, stressful semester, but I didn't really have much of a choice.
Other semesters were easier because I could take a few online classes. I would spend my downtime at work catching up on my online class assignments (shhh!!).
I agree...as I explained above, my husband and I both work full time (me 40 hrs, him usually 50-60 including freelance work on the side) and are both in full time grad programs (which is 2 classes at a time, not 4, but there is a reason it only takes 2 grad classes to be considered full time). And we have 2 kids. Our classes are online, so we spend many nights at our computers after the kids are in bed. Often we are up until midnight or later, and we get up at 5:30 for the day.
Not always fun, but definitely very doable, and I know plenty of others doing the same.
The programs for grad school that I am looking into are 2 classes a semester and are called "part-time", is yours a two or three year program?
It is a 2 year program. I think full time is considered 6 grad credits, and typically my courses are 3-4 grad credits each, depending if they are 5000 or 6000 level.
Post by coribelle26 on Sept 26, 2013 10:22:26 GMT -5
For grad school, full time is less credits than undergrad (I think 8? I can't remember now). So I took somewhere between 8 and 11 credits every semester, which usually worked out to two long weekly evening classes and one workshop that met for two full weekends. One semester I had an online class so I used that semester to work on my thesis, too (less travel time and I could get through the online lectures a lot faster than an in-person lecture). I left work an hour or two early on the days I had class and stayed an hour or two late on the days I didn't. I had no kids, a self sufficient husband, and I ate a lot of take-out. It wasn't easy but I also wasn't hating my life, either because I had plenty of fun on the weekends.
I will say that I was in awe of the people who did what I was doing and still had little kids at home. There were a couple of them in my program, and I know I had it a LOT easier than they did.
I work 40+ hour weeks (4-10 hour days) and take an average of 16-18 credits per term. I take all of my classes online, but I spend nearly all of my non-working time watching lectures and doing readings/classwork.
Don't even try to tell me its not the same as taking classes in person. Its a real college, getting the same degree, taking the same classes as anyone else.
Dude. The personal accountability is way intense and more time studying is unavoidable. And group projects in online classes? So hard.
I can't imagine it right now. I'm in massage school full time, and only work 15-20 hours a week and some days are still really freaking hard!! I'm so tired, I can't imagine working double that and having to study and everything.
Definition of working fulltime: 40+ hours. Definition of going to school fulltime: 12+ credits, 4 or more classes.
I still don't understand. If I had 4 classes, I would have enough time to work, and go to class, but there would be no time to study.
If you did NOT take 4 or more classes, please clarify in your post. Cause it's makes a difference.
No. Definition of full time for graduate classes is 9 hours. I went to grad school full time (at night) and worked 40+ hours per week WITH a newborn. I started school, got pregnant, and didn't want to lose my momentum so I just kept going. It's very doable. It's hard, but it was worth it to me.