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The School and Life Management brochure creates awareness of the challenges for both traditional and non-traditional students as they decide to attend school.

As you decide to return to school, start school for the first time or take a break from school you need to think about the decision as it relates to your life situation. Many of us have families, work, community involvement or extracurricular activities.  We have a variety of pressures and responsibilities that require time and effort.

It's important to examine you values, goals, and expectations as you make decisions regarding school, especially the commitment to complete school.  This could involve taking out student loans, budgeting tightly, getting an extra job or applying for grants and scholarships.  As you consider taking out student loans to support the expenses of a college education today;   you need to recognize that the debt you take on will be your responsibility to pay back within a reasonable time frame.

Many individuals consider themselves "lifelong learners" and want to continue learning by taking classes that interest them for provide personal fulfillment.  Many individuals also pursue schooling to make themselves more competitive in the job market.

If you decide to attend school while working either part- or full-time, you can expect to spend a good portion of your time on schoolwork. Between commuting, attending classes, researching and studying, school can take up the majority of your time. If you are worried about spending too much time on schoolwork, and not having enough time for other priorities and obligations, you have options. You can take a smaller workload, look into online courses, or enroll in school part-time at first. Taking it slow might help you to get more out of your education, or get better grades in your classes.

• According to the US Dept. of Labor, 70% of the future jobs will require a postsecondary education.
• Adult learners now comprise approximately anywhere from 20-25% of the students at nationwide postsecondary campuses.
• Workers with degrees or professional certifications generally receive much higher salaries than workers with a high school diploma only.

Establishing Goals:
Goals are a discovery process.  Setting goals will help you identify your dreams, find solutions to challenges or be ready to overcome any obstacles that might impact your plans for the future.  The more details and specific steps you include will make each of your goals more realistic.

• A goal has an "S" - specific accomplishment that you want to achieve.
• A goal has an "M" - measurement to know how it has been achieved.
• A goal has an "A"- attainable based on your income, family situation, work schedules, family health, and other obligations.
• A goal has an "R" - realistic and makes sense for your lifestyle.
• A goal has a "T" - time frame to be accomplished with some flexibility.

Think about your own goals use the above steps and take some quiet time to think about these goals as you pursue your education.  Goals are important to help create focus and direction to where your priorities are.

It's important when you're trying to balance work, life, family, and school commitments that you realize what considerations need to occur.  If you have established a clear set of goals, put together a budget for your family or yourself as it relates to the costs of your education, and explore all the various options for attaining your education... you are ready to go! 

Resource Support Checklist for School and Life Management:

• Ask yourself the question "How did you get where you are today?"
• Reflect on influences that your parents, teachers, and friends have imprinted on your financial management behavior.
• Does your family support the time commitment to either attend or go back to school?
• Invest in planning time to create a system that will work for you and your family, if you are going back to school.
• Assess and look at other options for getting your education.  For example; On-line courses and degree programs which allow you to be at home.
• Evaluate the costs of your educational goals and your options for getting assistance.
• Take time to visit the campus, search out support groups for parents returning to school or other on-campus resources such as "child care".
• Attend "open houses" or other informational sessions for prospective students.  Talk with the students and instructors about the time commitment and expectations of school.
• Take time to write goals for yourself after you evaluate what's important to you.  Follow the SMART methodology when writing your goals.
• Take time for yourself - exercise, eat a balanced diet, and do something you enjoy outside of school!

Helpful links:

http://www.worklifebalance.com -  This site is focused on training for work life balance and includes web based training to learn more tips, five steps to better work life balance.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/index.html - Self improvement and personal growth resources, tips and ideas.  This site was voted the #1 self improvement site on the web named by Google and Yahoo, March 2005.