Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I got lots of homework done, which was a much needed evil. Hence why I didn't blog this weekend. I didn't think that you'd want to hear about all the special education reading I did or the biological chemistry assignment I finished. Then this morning, I registered for classes for next semester. I can't believe I only have one more year left of school. It really goes by so fast.
But it got me thinking about what I might want to do next. I've always wanted to complete some level of grad school and I still want to. For awhile I thought I'd just get my undergrad degree in Chemistry and then get a masters in Education and then teach. But then I got involved doing chemical education research, which I enjoy. That got me to thinking about skipping my masters and going into a 5 year PhD program in Chemical Education. Then I could be a college professor. I thought that would be a pretty sweet gig.
However, as I approach my final year of my undergrad, I'm starting to think that I might like a little break before starting grad school. I'm starting to get burnt out and sick of sitting through boring lectures. Then again, grad school could be new and exciting enough to hold my interest. Then, the more I learn about all the hoops you have to jump through to become a college professor, the less I want to do it. And although Patrick and I don't plan on starting a family anytime soon (read: at least 5 years before babies), one thing I know for sure is that I want to be a mom at some point. Becoming a college professor does not really coincide with having a family, unless I'm willing to wait until I'm about 37 to start a family, which I'm not. I do want to be able to enjoy my kids.
Honestly, I don't know why I even worry about this stuff because I know it will all work and I should just go with the flow. But I was curious to hear from some of my readers who are moms. I personally believe that there is never a "perfect" moment to have kids. Sure, there are better times than others, but there's never a perfect moment. Would you agree? And if your a working mom, how do you balance being a mom and your career? I would also be curious to hear if you had a plan for your career and having children and how reality really panned out. I'm always just kind of curious so I appreciate you sharing!
agree on the no perfect time. there will always be something holding you back. one day you just need to give in and have kids.
ReplyDeletemy plan is to have kids in 2 years. hopefully itll workout since i alos plan on changing careers soon.
There is never a perfect time. But when you are ready you will know it's the right time. Read my post tomorrow. It's all about my balancing act of being a mom, a runner and once ever so briefly a career woman!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that you said being a college professor would not match with being a mom. Since I'm neither a mom or a college professor, I'm not an expert but I always picture being a professor as a good job for kids. You get the summers and Christmas break off with the kids, you can often set your schedule for teaching to match with your kids, you can teach part time when your kids are young, and in this day in age- you may be able to teach online classes and work from home :)
ReplyDeleteYou may have to start slightly later if you get a PHD first, but then once you were a professor I think it would work to start. I had lots of professors in college that were moms too. My school had a daycare for professors kids too- so they are always close by you, which is awesome!
On another note I definitely hear you about wanting to take a break before grad school. I started work right after undergrad and took 6 months off before grad school- then I did grad classes part time while teaching. It was crazy busy but I wouldn't trade it- I got so much more out of my program after working for awhile. That being said, I wouldn't take too long off because now that I have enjoyed free weekends and not doing a lot of work at home, I can't picture going back to it!
I had two years off between undergrad and graduate school. I got my undergrad in Elementary Ed, worked as a paraprofessional (aide) for 1 year, took a long term sub position in Special Ed - learning disabilities, and then did grad school to get my masters in Special Ed. I am glad that I took a couple years to get a feel for the feild. And in all actuality, I wasn't planning on doing grad school until a couple months before registration and such began!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your decisions. Follow your heart!
I could ramble for hours about all of this.
ReplyDeleteNo, there is no perfect time to start a family. You just decide that what you've got is great, and it could be made better with someone else, and that someone else will benefit from the situation also. And, incidentally, the little people are the greatest ones in your whole life. You will love them more than you ever knew that you could love another person. You'll also see your parents in a whole new light. But, that's another story.
As for teaching...I'm still convinced that I've got the best job in the world. I love what I do. I love who I work with. I love who I work for. No questions. It's not perfect, but nothing is. I needed to wait before I went back to school. I was done jumping through the pre-ordained hoops that had been set for me. I would have liked to go back sooner than I did, but life works itself out, and I'm happy with it.
The working mom thing...I don't sleep a lot. Really. I went for two years without more than three consecutive hours of sleep. I'm not kidding. I know that other people have different situations, but that was mine. I still don't sleep a lot, and I get pretty wiped. But, end of the day--I'm happy with the choices that I've made. I needed to go back to work...counting poopy diapers just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. Being a working mom is hard, but it can be done, and it can be done well as long as you have a strong support system--which you do.
And, you're a tough cookie. You can make it all work. I kind of chuckle, because the older you get, the more you remind me of me. I hope that doesn't freak you out, but it's true. I'm so glad that we've kept in touch because it's been cool to see you grow and change :)