Tips for Returning to College

 Have you ever wondered about tackling college again (or technical school)?  Do you have a lot of questions regarding doing that?  Maybe you don't think you have the money or it's been too long since you were in high school or college and you aren't sure you can still keep up with the work.

Here's some tips that might be helpful.  I returned to school and am now currently working towards my Master's degree.

1.  Decide if a degree, certificate, or higher education is what you REALLY want.  Are you ready to seek a better job?  Are the kids in high school and will be leaving home over the next few years?  Want to get back into the work force with a better edge?  Decide what YOU want to do and WHY.

2.  Do you have a set degree in mind?  If not but you still are wanting to get a degree, colleges have counselors who can assist you with choosing a degree program.  Perhaps an aptitude test would be helpful.  Talk to people who are in the career-field you have in mind to get an idea of what is entailed in that job (talk to teachers, nurses, beauticians, social workers--whatever you have considered doing in the past).

3.  Do you want to attend classes on-campus or online?  Some people do better with the structure that on-campus classes offer, while others are fine with online classes and are able to discipline themselves to stay on task.  Many colleges offer online degrees, while some may require you attend certain classes on-campus.  If you already have an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree and are ready to move forward to a higher degree, many universities offer the next step completely online.  I received my RN-BSN degree by doing online classes at WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY (WGU) 

and it was totally affordable!  They offer Nursing, Education, and Business classes.  Recently, I felt that I wanted to do something a little different with my Nursing career so I am working on my Master of Education degree in Health and Wellness through AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (ACE).  This school offers Master of Education degrees, a Doctorate of Education, and several certificates as well.  It is so affordable (less than $8000 for my degree) and I should be done in 14 to 15 months.  Make sure you attend an accredited college.

4. Concerned about paying for school?  Check with the college counselor regarding scholarships.  Do an online search to find scholarships related to your field or situation.  As a nursing student, I received scholarships from the local hospital auxiliary, a grant from the state due to a nursing shortage, and a private scholarship offered to women of Nevada.  Some employers will pay all or part of your tuition, even for spouses--check with your Human Resources for information.  Past military service may make you eligible for the GI Bill.  School loans are always available, too, either privately or through the government.

5.  If you have a family, schedule time to have a meeting and let them know of your plans.  Going back to school is a big step and a lot of work--it will affect your family!  Things won't be the same with Mom (or Dad) having class work to do or being gone to classes in the evening.  Make sure everyone is aware of the changes and that you will still be there for them but you will need some support, too.  At the beginning of each semester, we would have a family meeting so that everyone was aware of my schedule and what days I would be out of town (my nursing classes and clinicals took place almost two hours away from my town).  Every week, I made sure everyone knew who was picking up Ali and Staci--Grandma and older brother Aaron were a big help.

6.  Don't stress!  Nothing is etched in stone and if you decide you need to step back from your schooling, do so!  No degree is worth your health or the well-being of your loved ones!  It's okay.  I left nursing school for a year as my mom was not doing well (she passed away during my year off) and Ali was only 4 and missed me.  It worked out and I was glad I took the year off.  Talk to the school administrators--they want to help!

I am not an expert in returning to school but since I do have experience, I just wanted to share what I have learned over the years.  If you have any questions, you can either comment or email me--our link is over in the right-hand side bar.  

Thanks for stopping by! 

(Photos from pixabay.com)

Illumibowl 2

Twochicksandamom was provided an Illumibowl free of charge to provide this review.  All opinions are our own.

Have you heard of Illumibowl?  This product was featured on Shark Tank and is quite popular!

Illumibowl makes those late night trips to the bathroom not quite as worrisome, especially if  you are concerned about your young child or older parent.  Illumibowl lights up with a motion-sensor device and there is no need to turn on the bright overhead bathroom light!  It gives off the perfect amount of light so there are no stumbles or stubbed toes.

Worried about decor?  Illumibowl is quite compact and fits right onto the side of your toilet bowl.

Not only is it compact, you can choose a set color for your light or have it rotate through a variety of colors!

I love the rainbows of color!  My daughter Staci has one at her house as well, which will come in handy once little Parker is potty-trained.  Check out her review here.

Did I mention the lifetime warranty, too?

We love our ILLUMIBOWL!

Illumibowl is available at major retailers or you can order from their website here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Link Party 1/22/17

Happy weekend to all!  Here in Nevada we received a few inches of snow yesterday but today the skies have cleared and it is actually sunny and warmer out today.  Well, just in the 40's, lol.
Are you ready to party?  We have some great Features today.  Don't forget to check all the hosts' blogs as we each choose our own Features!

Please follow your hosts on one or more Social Media Platforms.

Beverly and Gloria Across the Blvd (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)

Joanita Creative Crochet Workshop (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)

Laurie My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)

Sharon The Blue Willow House (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)

Donna Two Chicks and a Mom (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)

Please let us know you’re following from Snickerdoodle Create, Bake, Make. We’d love to follow you back!

We're happy to announce that we will be featuring even more of your wonderful posts. Each week, on all five blogs, you'll find the co-hosts' selections for featured posts in the following categories: Crafts/DIY, Recipes, and Crocheting/Sewing. We will each include the Most Clicked as featured post as well. In addition, you may find other posts being featured, too.

While you're here, we'd love for you to grab our new party button.

Pinterest Promotion It's a great way to give you even more exposure!

Follow all of the co-hosts on Pinterest and then send an email request to join the board to acrosstheblvd@gmail.com. Please include a link to your Pinterest Profile as well as the name of your blog.

If you're featured, please grab our Snickerdoodle Feature Button!

~On to the Features~

All Features will be pinned to the Snickerdoodle Create, Bake, Make Features Board. We would love for you to pin the features, too. Please pin from the original source!

Crafts/DIY:

bybrittanygoldwyn has a fun string art project--your state!

Recipes:

Whitney Barkman has a recipe perfect for cold winter's days....Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup.

Sewing/Crochet:

Little House Living has a fun tutorial for Bibs. I loved making these for my babies and grandbabies.

Most Clicked:

Gluesticks has that Valentine's Day feel with a Quilted Heart Pillow

Thank you for partying with us!

An InLinkz Link-up

Cents of Style Fashion Friday

This post contains affiliate links.  By clicking on the link provided and making a purchase, twochicksandamom will receive compensation, at no extra cost to you!  It just helps us keep our little blog running!  See our Disclosure Policy for further info.  All opinions are our own.

It's Friday so yay!  Unless you have a totally different schedule and this is really your Monday....Today we have some awesome finds and deals from Cents of Style.  Cents of Style has some Inspirational Graphic T-shirts, with phrases to celebrate any personality, mood, or who you are. Plus, the shirts are 50 percent off now thru 1/22/17 with code INSPIRE17 with FREE SHIPPING!
Here's my "chick" Ali Rose sharing her choice of graphic tee.

Ali Rose chose Normal is Boring as her statement tee.  Ali does not like to be bored or boring.  As a teenager, she is on the go! Ali is in both Choir and Stagecraft (building sets, lighting, etc. for Drama) at the high school, does online schooling for her other classes, and takes an American Sign Language class at the local college.  Busy, busy!  Did I also mention Ali attends an early morning church class five days a week before school, works part-time as a dental assistant, AND volunteers one afternoon a week at an elementary school?  So you can easily see why Ali Rose would choose Normal is Boring for her statement tee!

Are you a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal?  If so, Cents of Style has 

t-shirts to share with you!

So if you want to check out more of these Inspirational Graphic T-shirts, just follow the link.  Don't forget the code!  INSPIRE17 for 50 percent off the lowest marked item and FREE SHIPPING.

Thanks for visiting!