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Going Back to School as a Working Parent

7 minute read

Hi! I’m Lisa Martinez DeVinney. Like many of you, I’ve held multiple titles throughout my life. However, I would wholeheartedly say that the most important title I have held is “Mom.” (That's a photo of me and my family!)

Back in the early 90s, before the kids arrived, I had just completed my bachelor’s degree. I was intensely focused on career success, and I planned to get my master’s by the time I was 30.

Then, I blinked.

Before I knew it, I had been married for over 20 years, was in my 40s, and we were raising three kids ranging from ages 9 to 14.

While I liked my job at the time, I wanted to keep moving forward. Getting my master’s degree still called out to me.

To be honest with you, whenever I thought about hitting the books again, I felt scared. Would I be able to juggle being a full-time mom with a full-time job AND school? Did I even remember how to write a paper? Was getting a degree worth it?

But when I thought about achieving my longtime goal and being a role model for my children... I decided to take the plunge and find a way to make it work. 

Can you relate to my story at all? Have you ever thought about earning your degree while raising children?

Before you keep reading, I want you to stop and think. Why do you want your degree and how will it benefit your career path?

There’s no wrong answer here. Take a second to dwell on your “why.” Envision what you want your life to look like.

As you read this article, keep thinking about your motivation. There’s little sense in learning “how” to do something without knowing “why” you’re doing it.

Are you ready to take a step right now to make your educational goals happen? Let's set up a meeting.. I’m happy to help, from one parent to another.

If you’re not quite ready, that’s okay. Keep reading. I’ll share what worked best for me when I went back to school as a working mother.

If I can do it, so can you.

My Advice for Parents Earning Their Degree

• Seek out flexible options
• Set a schedule and stick to it
• Use this as a teaching opportunity
• Identify your support network
• Remember why you’re doing it

Seek out flexible options.

Even though it’s been eight years since I finished my master’s degree, I still remember sitting in an ice-cold hockey rink, doing my homework during my oldest son’s hockey practice.

Here’s a photo of my son, Will, playing. 

All the “wait around” time for the kids’ activities turned out to be the perfect time to get my homework assignments done!

If my classes hadn’t been only one night a week, I would’ve had to arrange my family life around school. Instead, thanks to the flexibility of our Masters of Strategic Leadership (MSL) program, I was able to build my school life around my family life.

Set a schedule and stick to it.

While flexibility is great, being a Type A person, I still needed structure. I was surprised to discover that I actually had more free time to do homework than I realized. (This included the embarrassing realization that I watched way too much TV!)

Envision when you can realistically do your homework. For example, you could decide to regularly study…

• A couple of hours on a Saturday and/or Sunday
• 30-60 minutes every work day during your lunch break
• An hour or two after the kids go to bed

I recommend budgeting about a total of six hours of study per week for one 3-credit course. The great news is that most of the Roberts Wesleyan College Adult & Graduate programs offer the option to take 1 or 2 eight-week classes at a time and still finish in 12-24 months!

This doesn’t mean you need to budget large amounts of undivided time. Much like physical exercise, sometimes, you can only afford ten minutes at a time. You know what? That’s still ten minutes of progress… and it all adds up.

I asked a current adult student for his thoughts on this tip. Alex L. just completed our online Associate program and will soon be starting our B.S. in Business Management program. He is a vice president at a large health insurance company in Rochester.

He said, “Planning the time as far out as possible was key! I could ask the professor to help me understand what I was accountable for and when it was needed. The fact I knew what I had to do so far in advance allowed me to plan my time, so I didn’t have to be stressed.”

Use this as a teaching opportunity.

I remember sitting down with my kids in the evenings and on weekends to do homework together at the dining room table. If Mom has to do homework, so do my kids!

There were several benefits to scheduling homework time with my family.

• I got to spend more time with them
• They learned how to schedule and prioritize their homework
• They interrupted me less often, because they were busy at the same time

Identify your support network.

I was fortunate that my husband, Scott, was my biggest cheerleader throughout the entire program. From making dinners to doing the laundry, to watching the kids when I was in class or doing homework, his help allowed me to focus on my studies.

It’s important to find support in both moral and logistical ways. For example, ask yourself…

• Do I have family nearby who are willing to regularly take the kids for an hour or two?
• Could my children help by taking on more chores?
• Do I have a mentor I can turn to for advice or an empathetic ear?
• Am I connected to my community, such as a church? Could I perhaps schedule an ongoing lunch date with friends?

While we’re on the subject of support, I can’t say enough good things about our Learning and Counseling Centers. With specific offerings for adult learners, their services are invaluable.

Remember why you’re doing it.

When I crossed the graduation stage that May, my husband and children were in the audience. Together, we celebrated all that we had accomplished as a team!

My final semester in the MSL program, I was offered a promotion and immediately started to see doors open for me. Since then, I received another promotion and added the title “adjunct professor” to my list of accomplishments. 

There are countless reasons why a parent may choose to go back to school. I encourage you to keep yours at the forefront of your mind. Perhaps write them on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror!

Remember, going back to school is a short-term investment that has long-term potential payoffs for both you and your family.

Alex L. shared his reason for returning to school. “I’m in the corporate succession program at my company, which means I’m preparing to move into a senior position in the future. I need a degree to move into one of those jobs.”

Before coming to Roberts, Alex didn’t hold any college degrees. He attended a local community college off and on over the past 15 years, but for a variety of reasons, found the work demotivating and stressful. Everything changed in 2020 when he started the Associate of Arts and Culture degree.

“I really felt like I was learning things that were growing me as a human. The professors structured everything in a way that matched my experience with the homework and helped me plan in advance.”

He encourages working parents to face their nerves and go back to school. “The Adult and Graduate programs at Roberts are literally built for working parents like me. They get it!”

Take The Next Step

Thank you for taking the time to read my story as a working mother going back to school. Now, I’d love to hear your story!

I specialize in our associate degree and degree completion Business programs. If you're interested in something else, you can meet everyone on my team, many of whom are also working parents.

There will honestly never be a “perfect time” to start… but if you give me a call, I’ll do everything I can to make the road as smooth as possible, one parent to another. You’ve got this!

Schedule a meeting with me. Hope to talk soon!

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