What I have learned

Going back to school is a learning experience, and not just in the classroom. It takes a lot of courage to sacrifice on things that you have become comfortable doing and certain hobbies and routines. Ultimately you want to be able to flourish in a career that you can be happy in. In order to be successful, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice things. I truly believe however, if you put in the work and the effort, things will work out one way or another.

Friends and family who support you will always be there for you when you need them. This type of support makes it easier to put your head down and focus on the task at hand.

My experiences going back to school have not only resulted in me figuring out a new career path to pursue, but has also resulted in a new full time job.

Re-prioritizing my life

For me, one of the biggest challenges with going back to school after I had already received the bachelors degree and was already working, was re-prioritizing my life. I am a create of habit and like to fall into daily and weekly routines to help stay organized. To combat the stresses of daily life I started to engage myself in endurance sports. I have completed the NYC Half Marathon, NYC Triathlon, and a number of other cross-country and road races. Obviously these events take time and dedication to prepare for.

I also have a pretty active social life. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful girlfriend and a large group of close friends. In fact, I am still very close with my 11 closest friends from High School.

I am also a huge music lover and huge sports fan. I very much enjoy going to concerts and sporting events.

Going back to school has forced me to think twice about spending money for my social and personal life. Working part time jobs does not offer the opportunity to make the kind of money that most of my friends my age have been making. I have been forced to cut back and make sacrifices.

I have also had to sacrifice my time. Using a calendar and planning when assignments are due and when I have to go to the gym, see my friends/girlfriend, and spend time with family is the only way I am able to get by. It does get frustrating.

However, my frustrations easily subside in many ways. First, I have been doing well in school. There is nothing more rewarding then giving up things in your life that you are used to doing and being reassured that you are making the right decisions. For me, receiving good grades is part of this reassurance. The second way that my frustrations subside is having such a great supporting cast. My family, friends, and girlfriend have all (for the most part) been extremely understanding of my situation and my choice to go back to school. I even have been given permission to miss out of the family's Mother's Day plans next weekend in anticipation of my up coming finals.

Choosing to go back to school is a difficult one, that takes some getting used to and some reorganization of daily activities to make time for school work. There is nothing more rewarding when things work out.

 

Working and going back to school

For many people who are thinking about going back to school after receiving a bachelor's degree face an major obstacle, work.  As everyone gets old you have more and more responsibilities and things to take care of. It is often hard to forget all about making an income and focus only on one's studies. This forces people going back to school to choose to either go to school part time and work full time, go to school full time and work part time, or try the ever so challenging task of working full time and going to school full time. This creates a much greater controversy than a student during their undergraduate studies working. People who go back to school after their bachelors are more focused on what they want to study and looking to make a career change. They have a purpose for being at school, and it is not just because their parents made them go to college. Naturally this would motivate someone to want to do the absolute best school work they possibly can do. When you work however, time is taken away form your studies. It important to be able to balance work and school and some type of personal life when. Going back to school is becoming very popular with the economy trying to make its way back to prosperity. The previous slumping economy has changed the job prospects across many different popular industries. Anthonia Akitunde write about some of the issues for people going back to school in her article on the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/17/back-to-school-adult-education-student-loans_n_1773801.html

I was faced with a tough challenge because I was luck enough to find not one, but two jobs in the IT industry while at school. Both companies were not too demanding on my hours, and were flexible with me and my school schedule. I was constantly faced with the dilemma of trying to go the extra mile and make a good impression with my new bosses. I also found it important to get good grades in school. There is no other way to show a potential employer that you are interested in a field than to get good grades in relevant course work.

First Post

Going back to school after you already have your bachelor's degree can present many challenges. Usually going back to school after you already have a bachelor's degree means you are going back to school for something more specific. You already went out into the workforce but had limited options based on your area of study and previous work experience. Going back to school for an intended goal, not just because going is what your parents told you that you have to do after high school, brings a very unique approach to your studies. This also usually means that you will be either working part time and going to school full time, or working full time and going to school part time.

I went started SUNY Farmingdale as a full time student. I entered the certificate program for Computer Information Systems. After an unsatisfying start to my career within the legal industry, and little interest becoming an attorney, I wanted to pursue some type of schooling in something that was more interesting to me. CIS has been everything and more.

The challenges of being a full time student, working, trying to network and break into your new industry, having a social life, and enjoying your own hobbies and interests can be a tireless task. I am about to finish my second semester at Farmingdale and I still do not think that I have it down straight. Each day, each situation is a learning experience. My most important thing to do right now is focus on getting the best grades as possible (and spending some time with my girlfriend).