Words: 1030
Balancing career demands, family responsibilities, and college studies has never been an easy feat. Since time as a resource, has been and probably will always be scarce, we have to manage it as efficiently as possible. Seemingly, your time Is already being stretched too thin, with work and family obligations, so taking on the added responsibility of a college education, makes It even more daunting. But looking across the board of any spectrum of middle Income earners, one thing that we find common among them is a college degree. With that being said, many people find it an uphill task to obtain a degree.
This is because they already have work and family obligations to contend with. However, with higher education being the way out of poverty for most people, they decide later in life to go to college, to pursue tertiary education. Even though pursuing a college education can be an uphill task, its benefits, outweighs any challenges it may present. In the end, it affords you and your family, the chance of getting ahead in life. One of the problems most people in this situation face is how much time they spend at the workplace. Whichever way you look at It, there are only twenty four hours In any given day.
So more often than not, you will find yourself out of time, running late, trying to get from one particular engagement to the other, or turning In overdue writing assignments. Most people spend between eight to ten hours on the Job on a dally basis. In spite of the added responsibility of college work, you are still expected to meet productivity levels and even in some cases, exceed them. You have deadlines to meet, meetings to attend, and bosses to answer to. Now that you are a college student, the boss has found a way to give you more responsibilities. Of course this comes with some remuneration or your troubles.
Brace yourself. Nobody said it was going to be easy. If it is easy, it probably wouldn’t be worth much, anyway. There may be times when you will be so overwhelmed with this ‘balancing act’ that, you will begin to second guess your decision. But rest assured, nothing could be further from the truth. Most times, by the time you get home you are completely exhausted. You still have a home to run, kids to take care of and a spouse to attend to. You settle In to cook dinner, to feed the family. Listen to how everybody day went. You Inspect their homework, scold where accessory, and praise where praise is due.
At this juncture, you send everybody off to bed. You finally get some ‘me’ time to yourself, only to be called upon to attend to some spousal duties. Oh lord when is this going to end? By the time you wiggle your way out of that, it is eleven pm. You need a ‘shut eye’ badly, but one more thing. There is a writing assignment over due, so you decide to sacrifice a couple hours to get that paper done. You are awoken by your alarm clock at six in morning, still sitting at the desk in your attempt to complete your assignment. Another day is upon you, and the cycle continues.
You somehow manage to get yourself up and waking everyone, you begin the process of getting them ready for school. It turned out you were able to complete the assignment, before sleep took over. In an hour or so, breakfast In the bellies, lunch boxes packed and backpacks strapped on, you file out ready to begin yet another day. You say a prayer to yourself. Slowly but surely, you are trekking on. You will get through this. In order to accomplish this task of strategies and prioritize. It is imperative to brainstorm. List all your daily engagements in a chronological order.
Determining what tasks will be tackled first, which ones will be dealt with second, what will be third, and so forth, is the objective. The idea is to be able to free up some time in your regular schedule. Since all these tasks are of equal importance, you will have to make sure that none of them is ignored. It is always prudent to ask for help if you need one. A good way is to ask family and friends to help you out with the personal and family side of things. Let us face it. No one can study for you, that is, if you want to maintain the integrity of your education. Neither can anyone perform your duties at the office for you.
This leaves he third option, family demands. Asking a family member to help out with picking up the kids from school, and help with the supervision of their homework, will go a long way to free up a few hours of your night, which you may then devote to your studies. You will be well advised to teach your kids to do some of the chores at home. Chores like the doing the dishes, the laundry, and the cleaning of the house can be undertaken by children. Asking your spouse to chip in where he or she hasn’t previously. He or she can take up the cooking for three days of the week, or accommodate with leftovers in the refrigerator.
Every little bit counts. Since things does not always go according to plan, having the ability to improvise in your arsenal, will serve you well. The act or art, of balancing a college education, work obligations, and family demands, maybe a very challenging ordeal. With that being said, it is not an impossible task. The pursuit of a college education, and all the problems associated with it, pales in comparison to its benefits. With perseverance, and great resolve, at the end of the day, will be worth the effort. You will be better off. It can be done, and has been done. With the wind, in your sail, Godspeed.