Posted July 15th, 2014
By Guest Blogger
Military life is difficult and adding going back to school can seem like an extremely daunting task. The first challenge is finding a school that is not only flexible but also offers the degree you desire and that fits with your budget. The first time I went to college it was a brick and mortar school. Online education did not really exist at the time making it the only option. I was young and had fun. I played a sport, lived in the dorms, and went to class. I had very few responsibilities, however that quickly changed. After graduating I had a degree and with it came a job and lots of bills and eventually an amazing husband which brought with it a very challenging life. The degree which I had worked so hard for was not applicable in most locations the military could send us. That was when I turned to online education.
There were many hurdles in deciding which school to attend. First was the cost, then the flexibility, the ability to stop and start the program and whether or not credits earned would be transferable in case something happened and I had to transfer. While the school I was attending was a little more expensive for graduate school in Education than most state schools, I was able to apply for scholarships that helped to cover some of the cost. Apply, apply, and apply for any and all scholarships. Every little bit helped and I was surprised at some that I was eligible for and received. Call the admissions office and the financial aid offices; there were scholarships available just for the school I was attending as well as they had knowledge of the best ways in which to apply for some of them. The program however proved to be flexible in that there were class times available in the evenings; it was inflexible in that there were set class meeting times twice a week.
One major challenge I was not prepared for was the guilt of having to do homework or be "in class" while my husband was home. He was always gone at work, TDY or deployed and while he was home it was difficult paying attention to school work and "class", especially knowing that he would most likely leave again soon. Thankfully my school was flexible in letting me stop and start the program and while the program was supposed to only take 2 years it ended up taking me 3.
I decided to try online education once more, hoping that an additional bachelor's degree would help to open up job opportunities. I decided to pursue a degree in Psychology. While the same challenges arose, at least with the school I chose it was a little more affordable and again I applied and kept applying for every scholarship I could find information about. While I still have the guilt of having to do homework instead of spending time with my husband when he was home, the program is more flexible in that most classes give you a week to complete assignments, which allowed me to spread out the reading and class work to complete assignments while my husband was TDY or at work. While I also work full time, I could read the textbooks on breaks and at lunch. We even PCS'ed directly in the middle of a few of my classes and with the help of Starbucks free wi-fi and the local USO, I was able to find internet connections to complete assignments. While not ideal, I was able to continue taking classes even though we had moved to a different state. Going back to college and being a military spouse has been challenging, however if you have the support of your family and you are motivated do not let anything stand in your way.
