When I began graduate school I was working part/full time, going to school full time, and working as a graduate assistant in my department. Part/full time, you ask? I was supposed to be part time, but all that really meant was that I was only in the office part time. I was still doing all the work I did before whenever and wherever I could fit it in. Late nights, early mornings, working lunches took on a whole new meaning. Meaning I typically didn’t eat lunch. Great for my waistline, terrible for my sanity.
In a few short months I realized there was no way I could keep this up. How do working mom’s manage all they deal with, (I can’t imagine), and stay relatively active in society? So I decided to cut the part time back to “as needed.” What that meant was way less money. A lot less money. You know what they say about good intentions? Well, I’ll leave it to Google to tell you, but my intention was to get out of school debt free. Let’s break this down:
In order to be debt free, I needed to work.
In order to work I needed to give up my assistantship.
If I gave up my GA position, my tuition wouldn’t be paid and I would have to take out loans.
And we’re back at the beginning….
Looks like taking out loans to fund my living expenses was my only option.
I am now officially in debt. I’m almost ashamed, but it won’t be so bad. I’ll graduate and get a great job and pay those puppies off in no time, right? The economy is great, especially for journalists, right? At least I own my car…..
And the balance continues. Not only financially, but at home. I have a dog and two cats that need attention. Yes, they’re my children. Scheduling potty breaks for animals is just as important as getting to class and doing my homework. It’s only been a short time since I’ve been back in school, but I’ve already forgotten what a normal schedule feels like. Every day is different. I love it and loathe it at the same time, but in order to get where I want to go, the balancing act is necessary. I feel a bit like I joined the circus.
