Studying saved me - My story of being a Mum and Studying

Sponsored post by I Want That Course

This post is written by fellow Imperfect Mum Krystal King

When you become a Mum, what you need and what you want is ultimately no longer a high priority, as suddenly the overwhelming tasks of being a mum starts to come first. In-between changing the babies nappy, ever-changing sleep patterns and play times, I felt like I was doing absolutely nothing for myself.

My needs and passions got lost under an-ever growing list of things to-do: putting away all the washing that’s piling up on the couch, cleaning the bathroom I have been avoiding, taking a trip to Coles to pick up baby food and nappies.

My passion for my career in the education industry was becoming further and further out of reach and it seemed to be buried under the needs of my son. Don’t get me wrong, nothing will ever be as wonderful as my child’s smile, or his first steps, but I felt that I was somehow, just a Mum; I needed to get Krystal back, I needed to put some of my priorities back on top.

How could I keep my career skills up without sacrificing spending time with my son? Further study had always interested me, but time with Kaden is precious and I didn’t want to put anything else above this. They say that ‘they grow up fast’ and I wanted to fill my sons life with so much love and happy memories that completing a classroom-based course would have been impossible.

Baby toys in hand; I took to the Internet and researched my study options. Luckily, I found a suitable solution.

Fast forward a few years and I am now successfully qualified with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and I finally feel like I am able to balance “Krystal the Mum” and “Krystal the career woman.”

I have just given birth to my second child, a beautiful little girl, Kiana.  The knowledge and skills I learned throughout the duration of my online study means that I can spend all my time enjoying her first few months in this world. Her and Kaden are my world, and without having completed an online course, I doubt that I would have been able to be a work-from-home Mum.

The best thing about studying online is that I could study at absolutely any time I wanted. I would put an hour or two aside, during Kaden’s nap time, which allowed for 100 percent ‘me’ time. Learning online allowed me to keep up my professional skills, as I was super scared that I would loose touch with them when I became a Mum.

I really think that the flexibility of studying online is what allowed me to complete my Certificate! It’s hard to put aside time when there’s always so much to do, but it’s really worth it because it allows you to be ‘you’. Plus: You can totally study in your PJ’s, makeup-less, on your sofa and no one will judge you!

Most importantly, it doesn’t sacrifice missing those moments that you want to be there for: your babies memorable moments like first steps, first words and, eventually, first days at daycare and kindergarten.

Studying online also meant that I didn’t have to fork out any hefty course costs as I opted for a pay-as-you-go style payment plan, which meant I didn’t have to sacrifice that new toy, baby formula or those tiny clothes that I wanted.

How To Be A Study-At-Home Mum

I can see from the Q&A forum that there are plenty of mums in the Imperfect Mum sisterhood who are considering studying. Well I can tell you know, having been a study-from-home-mum, a work-from-home-mum and also having a lot of professional experience in the education sector, you are heading in the right direction.

My advice if you want to start studying, would be to opt for an online option, as it allows for complete flexibility and the chance to balance your studies around your family!

From speaking with many other enthusiastic mums, I have noticed that there is a vast interest in the counselling and community services courses. I think these courses seem to be popular with mums, as we tend to put others first by second nature. When we’re raising kids, we’re tapping into that natural instinct to care and nurture others. It’s understandable that we want to relate to what we are doing in our everyday lives to a professional environment.

If you are interested in using your caring nature to help people and young children in particular, I really recommend youth work and counselling courses. Most of these have an option to study online.

Counselling courses give you the chance to change the life of someone in need, whether that is a mother suffering from post-natal depression, a young child being bullied or someone else that will benefit from our giving and loving nature.

The Diploma of Counselling allows mums to work in family support services, refugee support services and rehabilitation services. Just imagine how much difference you could make to the lives of families?

To do something for you, like I did, talk to an ‘I Want That Course’ education consultant on 1300 11 2468 or click here to submit your interest on our large range of courses suitable for stay at homes.