Returning_to_School

Returning to school Kara Dale English 121 Douglas Sigler March 8, 2010 For me going to college am about accomplishing a dream. Going to college is something that I always wanted to do and psychology is something that I always wanted to study. I took a one-semester course in psychology and I fell in love with it. My parents had taught me that going to college was a very important thing to do. Even though it should have been an easy decision, returning to school was a hard decision for me because I knew there would be some hurdles I would have to overcome and that there would be some adjustments that would have to be made in my daily life. Returning to school was a hard decision to make but I was at a point in my life at which, I felt it was time for a change. I had told myself that when my youngest child was old enough to stat school that I was going to go back into the work force. I decided to go ahead and see what was out there, I figured why wait. It was then that I realized that there were not any good paying jobs to be had with my qualifications. After looking at the jobs that were available, I soon found out that this would require me to return to school. Then I started looking to see which college would be right for me. First, I tried the local colleges and looked into attending part time. Then I saw that unless I wanted to attend at night, which would mean giving up my time alone with my husband, I would have to arrange for day care for my children. I did not have money for day care so going to school at a local college part time was out. Then I started to look at online colleges. Surprisingly, there were a lot more to choose from than I thought there would be. I already knew that I wanted an actual degree and not just some quick certificate, because most of the jobs that only require certificates do not pay that well. This eliminated some of the colleges for me. Next, I looked to see which colleges cost the least and which ones might offer grants to help me out. That was when I noticed that Ashford College offered a grant for veterans, which I am one. It would give me a discount on courses and it would pay for my books, so I decided it was the best fit for me. All I really had to do was to put forth the effort to make some changes in my everyday life. I now have to make sure to set aside at least an hour a day to do the required reading and assignments. I soon found out that this was easier said than done. This made me realize that I was going to have to make myself out a schedule and try as hard as I can to stick to it. This also means that there is a lot less time to do some of the frivolous things that I enjoy in my spare time. In my spare time, I used to like to watch movies and TV shows on the internet. Now with my new schedule there is only thirty minutes a day for me to spend as spare time. I still spend as much time on the computer as I did before but now it is spent more constructively. Knowing that I have to turn things in for a grade puts a lot more responsibility on me because, I know that if the assignments are not turned in on time I could fail. There are a few obstacles that I have to overcome in order to complete my degree. When I began my first college class. I was very worried that it would be hard but so far, I have been pleasantly surprised. The work was easy enough, as long as I really tried and put some thought into it. The quizzes I found were all open books so no worries there, but after the second quiz I had figured out that the answers were not always spelled out in the book; they required some real comprehension of what was read. The only thing that still really worried me was writing papers. I was never very good at essays in school, I was better at creative writing. One of these obstacles would be my own procrastination. I have a terrible habit of waiting until the last minute to do everything. This is something that I am working on and that I have made some progress on but I clearly need to try harder to overcome. Another thing that holds me back is fear. There are certain subjects that I am really scared that I am not going to be good at. One of them is math and the other one is this subject. I do not consider myself good at writing essays, and I was awful at math in high school. The biggest thing that could really stop me in my tracks is my finances. I cannot afford to pay for these classes on my own. Right now, the GI bill is taking care of the first two classes, but this is the last class they are going to pay for. After this, I will use whatever Pell grant money that I can get, and I am not sure how much that is. I really do not want to take out any student loans for the fear that I will not be able to pay them back. It was at this time that I also realized that going back to school would benefit me in several ways. First, it will help me get the job that I would love to have. I know that I do not want to go back to working as a certified nurse’s aide. My heart just is not in it anymore not to mention the fact that my certification had been expired for quite some time. I would thoroughly enjoy a job as a counselor, maybe in a high school. In my own high school years, I admired my counselors and they inspired me. I would like to try to prevent others from making some of the same mistakes I made and some of the ones I saw my friends make. This way I can really make a difference. It would also give me a great sense of accomplishment, and therefore better self-esteem. I already feel a sense of accomplishment in the fact that I have finished my first course, and I already feel more intelligent. I know this is a feeling that will increase as I get through more of my degree. I also want to show my children how important it is to further their education by going to college and that it is never too late to start. I originally wanted to attend college right after high school but life as it were got in the way of me going to college until now. Now I plan to not let anything get in the way of my finishing this time. As I look back over my life, I see many times that my priorities were not straight. I spent too much time on the wrong things and not enough time on the right ones. I also did not know when to let go of some of my old habits, which held me back. I know that it is going to be hard, but I am just going to buckle down and get it done. . I hope that this time my plans will not get off track. So far, they are going really well.