How to balance Penn Foster studies with work and family demands The biggest challenge for many of us is how to balance our studies, work and family demands. While we want happy fulfilling lives outside of family, work and school, we have to make personal sacrifices in order to be successful in life. Since time is precious, keeping a balance between three worlds can be a challenge. Fortunately, with proper planning, balance is possible. Every day, I have to make choices and manage my time incredibly well in order to be able to balance my online studies, my work and family demands. In my opinion family demands, work and studies balance are a process, not a static achievement. So, it is important to make the decisions selecting careers …show more content…
We are all very busy with work and school so sometimes we forget what needs to be done in time, so the daily planner is a very useful tool that helps you remember important events. Every day I update something new on my planner that would keep me updated for the upcoming week or month. For example, when it comes to my studies I have a special section for it and I always put a writing “study an hour in am and pm for English” to look over the materials on the given chapter. It is a great way not to fall behind on your studies and you are much better prepared when it comes on taking the chapter exam. When it comes to work I put the days and hours that I work a head of time so I can be able to figure out the time I have left to spend with my family and time for studying. As I mention before, family time is very important to me so I mostly put on my planer simple family stuff such us having dinner in a certain time, days of going out, or doing different chores, enrolling my son into daily or weekly activities, shopping, or family trips. I actually love the idea of doing my Penn Foster degree online , because it allows you to study at your own time and pace. Online classes fit your schedule in any time throughout 24 hours of a given day. If help is needed there are just a phone call away helping you in every step of the process. I attended college classes on campus for a couple of months
As a mother, wife, and a full time worker, an online program works best for me; because I fit my schoolwork into my daily schedule, and rearrange my schedule as needed. In addition, all my schoolwork can be completed at the convenience of my home. The fact that the Walden University MSW program is accredited by CSWE means that the program meets the standard set forth, for the profession. I am assured by the time I graduate from the program; I would have learned the skills needed to work in the field. In addition, the online review of Walden University is good.
I chose the blended program over the fully online program, because I wanted to give online classes a try to see how I can function and manage time to complete the required courses in the program. When deciding on what program I wanted to go into, I had to keep in mind of other priorities I had to keep up with. For example, full time employment, making an income, paying bills, pay for my insurance, and other aspects that is to be done
In Chapter 14, the writers of the text provide a map through the process of deciding on a career, preparing for it, building a portfolio, setting out on the job hunt, and how to ace an interview. Making the right career choice can mean the difference between a challenging, rewarding, happy work life and a life of waking up every morning dreading the workday. The key is to find a career that will make use of your abilities and interests where you can feel that you are making a contribution to the world. The first thing to do is to take inventory of interests, skills, experience, and education. There are online tools and surveys available to help a person make these discoveries.
Everyone has their own learning styles. Going to school online might not be cut out for a person that needs to be face to face with an instructor. Or a person that has to have on hands training might not want to attend an online campus. It’s a tough decision when you have to make this decision on how you want to continue with your education. An education is an education, so it’s better to have one than not to have one at all. So it all really boils down to you making that decision based on how you interpret your learning skills. For me, online is what fit in my current life style. It’s convenient, comfortable, and less expensive. The
My phone helps with reminding me to stay on schedule while I have a weekly calendar on my desk that reminds me of everything I have to do during said week. For my classwork, I look at what I have to accomplish in advance so I can adjust my schedule to the amount of work that week. I take the most urgent stuff and make that my priority before estimating how long each assignment will take. Most days, I give myself extra time so I do not feel rushed in completing an assignment. Before beginning my assignments, I read (or in some cases reread) the necessary material. Occasionally, I will research certain topics in order to a more comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the material.
Putting it that I manage to organize my school day by taking up to 10 minutes in the morning, where I specify the tasks that need to be accomplished, the projects that need my attention, and the goals that I would like to achieve in this day. I thought this strategy was so effective I started to put it to use in other classes and my daily life. For example, in chemistry class my peers and I have a summative due on January 19th, so to make sure I don't forget I created a list of due dates on phone a set of reminders telling me what I need to do to get a certain assignment
A background of my academic studies consist of several courses relating to social service including Sociology Research Methods, Minority Groups, Women and Work, Carribean Studies many others. I have managed to study a variety of courses in a traditional classroom setting as well studying courses online. While most of my academic studies were completed in a traditional classroom setting, my last year and half I completed online at Empire State College Center for Distance Learning. One of the main reasons i am interested in studying online is because when I tried it out it was exciting, new to me and it me gave the flexibility that I needed when work and family responsibilities were a concern. In addition, to studying online I was able to organize a more concrete educational plan and manage my time more effectively. My next step toward my academic goal is to continue my studies in social service and achieve my MSW degree. Once I have achieved my MSW degree I would be eligible to take the exam to become a Licensed Child
The right career path begins with the right college, and the right college should take me to the right path. I always wondered what I was going to do with my life ever since I was 12 years old. When I turned 14 I wanted to become a video game designer but then I looked into it and learned how much I hated it, how much it wasn’t like playing video games. So as I always told myself “if it isn’t right for you then go with the next thing in life you enjoy.”. So that’s when I started my journey of life mentally, looking to the right career for success. It is important to understand the education or training requirements, skills or talents needed, salary and benefits offered, and the duties for a particular career when making the decision.
Having a planner makes it easier to track any projects or assignments as well as important activities. A planner, whether it would be daily, weekly, or monthly, will help students remind them about upcoming assignments or tests. Furthermore, students should keep all of the paperwork that they receive in a binder. Keeping a binder will help speed up the process of searching for study materials. A binder that consist of all homework and study guides help prevent from losing papers as well as forgetting assignments at school. Being well organized will make studying less stressful and smoother for
For me, being able to manage my time wisely is a must. Every week I have a schedule that I try to stay as close too as possible. The problem is most of the time something happens to throw me off schedule and I find myself playing catch up. If I didn’t have the schedule already in place then I would never get anything done. “ the first step toward more effective time management is to increase awareness of its value” (Lucco, 1994). Time management is a lot easier in my private life because my family understands what I am trying to accomplish. Everyday I start my assignments at 4:30 and finish at 7:30 with no distractions. They understand that if I work during the week we can play on the weekends.
Discovering and choosing a online program that fulfills all of my needs was a rigorous yet exciting task. The penn foster clearly emerged as the best choice for me and I, as a great match comparatively with other high school programs. After visiting the website, reading the information pamphlet, and researching the online high school program Web site, I realize that penn foster offers what I hope to gain from my college experience. In return, I will contribute to the penn foster as a person with leadership qualities who takes initiative and enjoys participating in school events.
Working on-line first gave me a feeling of unpersonal and on my own. Now I am reasured that help is just a click away. That is not all about just collecting on the tuition but truly wanting me to finish my degree
One of the crucial moments in my life was the decision I had to take; as to what I was going to do next in life. Having completed my Advanced Level in 2013, I realized that it was not the end of my career as a student. I needed strong academic foundation along with other soft skills to meet the challenges and survive in this commercial world as a successful individual. In view of these thoughts, I was unable to make a firm decision as to what my career direction would be. After a month or so of various discussions with my parents, friends and other learned people I was able to reason out the best choice for me.
Throughout your lifetime you will eventually have to decide on what career you want to begin your journey on. In the United States and around the world, many individuals will choose their career path very early in their lifetimes in order to attain the job position that they desire. With this being said, one must carefully plan and modify their lives to prepare for what the future withholds. For instance, in order for me to achieve my long time goals of becoming a software developer and/or a computer system analyst, then I would need to continue patiently walk along the bumpy path on my laborious, lengthy journey. Lastly, the following careers that I’ve set my eyes on will embark us onto a prolonged life excursion.
In 1980, Donald Super introduced a theory that described career development in terms of life stages and life roles. Super was one of the first theorists to discuss the constantly evolving nature of career development, and the importance of finding a balance between career and personal life. Super’s developmental model emphasized how personal experiences interact with occupational preferences in creating one’s self-concept. Super discussed how each of us progress through various life and career development stages, including growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement. He also discussed that each of us take on different roles as we go through life, such as a child, student, leisurite, citizen, worker, parent, and spouse. Each of these roles has an impact on our personal and professional development, and on our work/life balance. Finally, his “archway” of career determinants detailed how both personality characteristics (intelligence, needs, values) and societal characteristics (labor market, school, family) influence our career choices and have a major impact on our career development.