Online Education: the best at home solution
By Kathleen Villarreal

Have you always wanted to earn your degree? Even if you are currently a work at home mom or a stay at home mom you need to make sure you have marketable skills especially if you plan to eventually start your own business or return to the work force.

I have been a part-time work at home mom for five years. I have taught computer courses at night for a local vocational college. I am home during the day with our three sons while my husband worked. My husband would get home and then I would leave for work an hour later. After 9/11 the college I worked for had to layoff employees. This was also true of many other companies after 9/11. I decided that if I wanted to be marketable if something happened to my job, I needed a master’s degree. My dilemma was that most master’s degree programs in my area were offered at night and that is when I worked.

A friend of mine had earned their bachelor’s degree from University of Phoenix Online and I decided that was the best place to start. I filled out an online interest card and within a few days a very friendly and helpful admissions advisor called me. I was very anxious about staring school. I had been out of school for six years and now I had three young children and a career. I was intrigued by their 24/7 classroom with the ability to participate in class discussions anytime of the day or night. I also enjoyed the fact that each 3 unit course lasts six weeks with one week off in between. This format allowed me to focus on one class at a time instead of worrying about 3 or 4 classes at a time.

Each class has 9 to 12 students and they use Outlook Express newsgroups. The instructor posts discussion questions that each student is required to answer and respond to classmates’ posts. Almost every week I had to write an individual paper and work on a team project with team members from all over the world. One teammate became such a good friend I flew to Seattle the day after I finished my degree to visit her.

How did I fit school into an already busy schedule? Planning was the key to my success. Every Thursday I would find out my assignments for the next week. I would sit down with my planner and plan what days and times I would work on my assignments. I had to coordinate this with my grading for my teaching job and my three children’s appointments. This proved sometimes to be quite challenging since after I started my degree my youngest son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. After the diagnosis we started going to physical therapy twice a week which meant two of my mornings were not free for grading or schoolwork. I was tempted to drop out but I had already been in the program for six months. I stuck it out. I fit my schoolwork in whenever I could, mornings, late at night after I got home from work, and weekends. Fortunately my husband was very supportive and helpful.

October of 2003 I finished my Masters Degree in Education/Adult Education and Distance Learning with a 3.88 grade point average. It took me 19 months to complete the degree. Out of 13 classes I received 11 A’s above 95%, 1 A- 92%, and one B 88%.

Online courses are the best solution for anyone not wanting to leave home to get a degree. Especially if that person is a stay at home mom or a work at home mom!

About the Author: Kathleen Villarreal has been a computer instructor for five years. She also operates her website www.finddreamjob.com which helps people realize their true potential and find their dream job.