Define "work"

I think most of us can agree that we struggle with keeping balance between our work lives and our personal lives. I know that for most of my professional life, I’ve struggled with trying to have a social life of some kind while balancing a demanding job. (Is there any other kind of job?) So what happens when you throw grad school into the mix?

Mine is an unusual story. I’m in the weekend program for working professionals and I’m not working. I should qualify that statement. I’m not working outside the home and getting paid. I am working, however, at handling all the paperwork and legal documents that come with trying to sell a house in Florida and I am working at trying to find a new job. Trust me when I say looking for a job is a full-time job.

Every so often I go on the usajobs.gov website which posts the available jobs in the federal government and I may find one to apply for. It takes about two hours to complete one application. Despite uploading my resume, which I think is pretty clear, I must then turn around and answer anywhere from seven to 10 essay questions on the experience I have in various fields and how it correlates to the job I am applying for. By the time I complete one application my brain hurts.

It can be quite challenging to do reading and writing assignments for graduate school after completing 10 essay questions or running around looking for a notary public to notarize all the documents needed for a closing. Even though I’m not “working”, I find that I don’t do my homework until the evening. Just like my “working” classmates.

So how do I maintain balance? It’s like I’ve said for the last two weeks. Prioritize and sacrifice. Homework is a priority so it takes preference over my desire to go and see D.C. as a tourist. Hopefully, the Capitol will still be there once I graduate. And hopefully I’ll be “working” before I graduate.

Millicent

Visa - Keeping me where I want to be.

Last week I said that if I really wanted a social life, I would have to make it a top priority. Well when it comes to finances, graduate school IS my top priority. It goes without saying that pursuing a master’s degree is expensive and I, like most people, don’t have $30,000 lieing around. But where there is a will, there is a way. My way was going to be to sell my house in Florida, pay off any debts, bank some of the money and use the rest for school.

What I didn’t build into the equation were all the unknown variables - and Murphy's Law has revealed a few. It turns out the decision to go to graduate school is costing me a lot more than $30,000. What are the extra costs?

First I quit a very good paying job in Florida to move to the D.C. area to attend school. My plan was to find a job here with education benefits to help defray the cost of school. What I didn’t count on was that I would still be job-hunting a few months later.

Next the sale of the house has not gone as planned and I’m paying for my apartment here and the house in Florida. Ouch!

So how have I survived? First thank God for a savings account. I'm down to fumes but I’m holding out. Next, thank God for plastic. Visa’s tagline is “Everywhere you want to be.” Well I’m adding “Keeping me where I want to be.”

The financial challenge of graduate school goes beyond just paying for classes. It’s forcing me to pay for an adventure, but it’s still my top priority. No regrets.

Millicent

Am I still alive?

How does graduate school affect your social/family life?

It depends. First of all the question is to define which one will be affected the most. Then, once you have figured it out, make a comparison analysis to stimulate your thinking and, more importantly, empower yourself to achieve and retain at least one. In my case, it's family life. The challenge is not only balancing your life, but more importantly, keeping your life together with a million dollar smile! Now I have to answer a difficult question: Do I still have a life?

As a working professional, husband, and father of four children, I am obsessed with earning my second Master’s degree. I am lucky to still be married. My goal is to NOT get divorced while I am back in graduate school. Already my wife has complaint about my obsession (I THINK MY WIFE IS JELOUS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL), this normally happens on Fridays night for I just can’t go out and have a social-married life with her. For my advantage, she has already earned her Masters degree so she is not complaining about the fact that I am earning a Master's degree, but a second one. I know, it's hard to believe. I have brought this concern to my attention and I can only find one answer: I LOVE graduate school! Graduate School is a way of life and I love it!

- ID #27