Studying with children

[Flumo]

Hi everyone, I'm 27 with 3 lovely children 9,7 and 1. I had my daughter very early I was 17 didn't pass my gcses and wasn't very keen on school. Since my daughter was tiny I've always told my self I'd get up and study and get a good career for myself and my children, but something just keeps Pulling me back from doing it. The last couple of years I've done my maths and English gcses and passed 🤗 but I just can't get the courage to do anything else, obviously my youngest is only 1 so could only do part time for now. My partner has a great job and I work part time in my local hospital so could work around that. I'm looking for anyone who has managed to study with children and what your experience on it all was? Sorry for the rant 😅

I'm 25 and look after children. I take adult group French classes on Saturdays via Zoom at the moment. My advice is that you need to bite the resistance bullet and do it. I find it fun yet exhausting at the same time.

I did a degree via the OU with 4 kids. I actually found it easy enough to do.

My best friend did a full time degree at local uni with placements whilst she had two young children (baby and toddler) at home. The uni really helped and so did her parents in terms of sometimes having children for late night studying.

I did my post grad studies whilst working with 3 young children as a single (divorced) parent with a dad that rarely turned up. You just work studying around your job hours and children. I won't pretend it isn't tough, but people do it.

You have to be organised and not need more than 6 hours sleep a night.

I learnt that I could research a topic in 3 hours and write the related essay up in 3 hours, with a few more bits of time adding and checking references that could be fitted in with children.

But then I didn't do a pure Stem subject. It was more a social science and practical professional qualifications

Before I had children I could have spent 70+ hours (over 2 weeks) doing research and writing up an essay assignment
I just learnt not to faff & to read research papers and related books around topics at bedtime , so that I had a head start in essay assignments. When I ran short of time I followed lecture notes and speed read selected chapters and thought that's good enough... and actually it was. Because a good analysis of what you've read is better than being overwhelmed and vague