This Insights article was contributed by Fabiola Kinney, Admissions and Advising Coordinator of North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Adult Studies Program in Wilmington.
“Can I work full-time while studying?”
I hear this question quite often while assisting working adults enrolling in college in planning a successful transition back into school life. What often prevents adults from enrolling in college courses are the fear of the time commitment involved and the challenges of balancing work and family responsibilities with the demands of school.
In addition, they are afraid it will take “forever” to finish the degree. It is not unreasonable that they need to earn a degree quickly. Getting a bachelor’s degree is one of the best steps adults can take to improve their career prospects and earning potential.
The priorities for working students are largely different from what programs for traditional students offer. When I attended college, I was the typical 18-year-old traditional student – fresh out of high school, I lived with my parents, worked part-time, and had very few worries besides getting decent grades. Going to class two or three times a week and juggling a full course load of four courses at a time was very manageable. Today, as a mother and a nine-to-fiver, I can see how accessibility and convenience would be the main driving factors in my college search.
Luckily, students considering a bachelor’s degree program nowadays have many options. Over the years, schools have developed new course formats to better accommodate the needs of working students, which now represent almost 40 percent of the total college population in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
In fact, a quick search on the internet currently produces thousands of program options. There are full-time or part-time schedules, accelerated or self-paced courses, and face-to-face, online or hybrid programs offered at many institutions. Because this is not a one-size-fits-all situation, it is imperative that prospective students do their homework in finding the right match.
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