Need a little bit of guidance please.
I’m a solo mum to two children. The youngest being 8 months.
I’m stuck in a crossroad and I do not know what to do.
Prior to having the youngest, I had been studying a double degree (2yrs of 5.5 yrs) AND love the industry I picked BUT I am not sure if it’s worth completing because:
* I work PT, doing 40 hrs a fortnight, 2-days a week. And cannot afford to not work.
* Management is supportive, the pay is exceptionally good, the days & hrs are flexible and I absolutely love the people I work with.
I know there is an abundance of solo parents out there who are quite capable of doing all 3 things at once; raising children, working & studying. But I am unsure how I’m going to cope. Prior the the youngest it was extremely demanding, time consuming, I had no time to scratch my head and I felt I wasn’t there for the eldest. Unfortunately the degree requires my attendance full time and therefore will have to drop a full days work to accomplish this. And I am unsure if I want to give up a days pay to focus on uni.
I’ve already put in 2.5 years of 5.5 and I feel disheartened just dropping it. I’ve also taken a year off uni for my children and it’s also given me time to think if uni is the right decision. Though I’m still stuck on what to do.
I am also swaying towards dropping because like I said above, I get paid exceptionally well at my current job. And once I complete uni it’ll take me 5+ years to even get close to what I’m earning now, plus it won’t be as flexible. And I need flexibility whilst the youngest is still reliant on me.
I only want the best for my children and I feel they’d miss out on seeing me as often as they do now.
What would you do in my current situation?
A: Continue study
B: Drop out of uni and focus on working & being a more attentive parent.
2 Replies
Dont drop out but yeah stick with good money, flexible work and life balance especially while your baby is so young. Id probably look at picking it back up when kids are 5 or 6 youll probably feel like you have enough sleep at night and enough free time to do it, then take it up slowly and just progress slowly as if youre on a good wage then theres no rush, but when kids get to 10+ youre going to start looking to your future and have the time to start building the career you really want.
You don't state what the future of your current role looks like carrer progression & $ wise compared to the uni degree. Why did you start the degree? Is it a dream job? Where can your current role take you?
You can keep credits for some courses for a couple of years & pick up studying again without penalty. Check the current status of this & keep current as it can change. I certainly wouldn't drop uni altogether as you've paid for 2.5 years already. If you're not ready now, stop & review in 12 months.