To Get a Degree or Not: Part 1

By Rebecca Miller

Living in an affluent community with her successful entrepreneurial husband and two thriving children, stay-home mother Zoë Zanbocker never gave thought to getting a job, let alone going back to school. But when her husband’s financial firm fell victim to the nation’s economic woes, Zoë had no choice but to find a way to earn income. Unfortunately, with little more than a few college credits, earning options were limited to low-paying, odd-hour jobs.

Zoë’s situation is all too common in today’s economy. Many Americans are being forced to forgo their life choices in order to survive in today’s economy. To stay afloat, many uneducated, undereducated and even educated adults are choosing to return to school and earn a degree to expand their skills.

While going back to school is no doubt beneficial, it also presents its own set of challenges. For someone like Zoë, with two young children in school and a full life, finding time to balance life while earning a degree can be challenging. Additionally, in Zoë’s case, her husband decided to pursue a freelance financial consulting career, working odd hours and traveling frequently, making going back to school even more difficult. Needless to say, Zoë’ and her family may not have been ready for her to return to school. However, with today’s array of flexible degree earning options, Zoë was fortunately able to find a degree program that worked for both her and her family.

Zoë found many online degree programs that accommodated her busy schedule and allowed her to earn her degree from home. While her children were at school, Zoë listened to recorded lectures of her online classes, taking notes and reviewing classroom material. She was able to complete her coursework in the mornings, tackle housework and errands around lunch, pick up her children and take them to after-school activities by 3 p.m. Preparing for tests and completing homework in the evenings and weekends made it possible to keep life balanced.

Zoë was also able to take advantage of her online college’s accelerated completion option, enabling her to complete her degree in less than two years. Zoë online college also offered career services that helped Zoë prepare her resume, learn interview techniques and find a job after graduation.

Zoë and her family made some sacrifices while Zoë earned her degree. But no one was more proud of Zoe than her family when she earned her associate’s degree and began working fulltime in her field of study. Today Zoë and many other women like her are making significant financial contributions to their families thanks to newly earned college degrees.