Stuck in a rut or needing further study to advance your career? It is possible to manage work, parenting and MBA study all at once.
It is all too common for workers to realise their current career is not providing the prestige, salary, opportunities or impact that they had hoped for when they initially decided to pursue that particular career path. While that is a disappointing situation, many people find that it can be corrected. In some cases, a transition to a new job solves the problem. For other people, a complete pivot in career paths may be necessary.
Obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) can be helpful for career changers who want to transition into a successful business career. However, going back to school poses a whole other set of challenges for the mid-career individual who already has a job, a family and a long list of responsibilities. If this is your situation, the following 4 tips can help you better understand your options for juggling work, parenthood and your MBA study coursework:
1. Consider Choosing an Online Course of Study
Nowadays, you have a mind-boggling array of choices for MBA degree programs. Some of them meet face-to-face in classrooms during usual business hours. Others meet only on selected evenings and weekends. Still others are conducted completely online.
There are good reasons to choose each of these options. However, for the mid-career parent who is already employed, obtaining a global MBA online can be the ideal choice. It is clearly the most practical option, because it eliminates the need to waste your treasured time commuting to a classroom location. It allows you to multitask; you can watch your latest lecture whilst cooking a meal for your kids. Furthermore, the lack of location restrictions can result in a more diverse participating class, as well as opportunities to network with potential business associates on multiple continents.
2. Be Deliberate About the Sacrifices You’re Willing to Make
Tradeoffs are inevitable when you are trying to accomplish multiple goals at once. You will face some challenging decisions in every area of your life. What will you give up in order to afford both daycare for the kids and the payments on your student loans? Are you okay with allowing your spouse to become your children’s primary caretaker during the time you’re in school? It is wise to be deliberate about which tradeoffs you will make so you can achieve your long-term goals.
3. Get Assistance and Support from Your Loved Ones
You are unlikely to succeed with parenting, work and your MBA coursework without assistance from the people who are close to you. Before you obligate yourself to all of these responsibilities, it is smart to discuss the situation with your loved ones and solicit their support. Make sure your spouse is not only on board, but fully committed to the idea of you pursuing an MBA. Ensure you will have your essential requirements covered; make a list of them and delegate each one to a person who is willing to be responsible for each task at times when you cannot accomplish them yourself.
4. Realise That Mediocrity Is Temporarily a Viable Option
It would be virtually impossible to achieve perfection with parenting, work and your MBA coursework study simultaneously. The main takeaway: If you decide to take on all 3 commitments, you’re going to have to do some major prioritising on where you want to put your best energies. Since you most likely cannot do a first-rate job at all of these things at once, you must give yourself permission to temporarily embrace mediocrity in at least one of these endeavours.
For most people, grades earned in high school don’t end up mattering much, supposing they aren’t so poor that you completely fail all your classes. It is okay to aim for merely passing your classes rather than earning straight A’s.
If you decide to pursue an MBA in addition to your other responsibilities, do keep these 4 tips in mind. It’s worth remembering that the struggle will be temporary, but the rewards you gain from earning an MBA will stay with you for the rest of your career.