Online College Degrees For At Home Moms

Marie worked for a Fortune 500 company for seven years. She had an amazing job and got paid well to do something she loved. While many of her co-workers simply couldn’t keep up in this high-pressure, dynamic environment, Marie thrived.

Then she got pregnant.

“I hated giving up my job, career, dreams, and status,” Marie says. “But there was no way to cut back and still raise my children the right way. And even though I loved it, I ultimately decided my baby needed me more than I needed to stay at work.”

A few years, Marie’s son, Alan, is now old enough to go to pre-school, and Marie wants to go back to work. But she still had a hard time finding a high-profile, high-pressure position like the one she left. Most of the employers who asked for interviews were only offering lower positions at a much lower salary, with little opportunity for advancement.

This is a common dilemma for working moms. Unlike in years past, today’s professional women are demanding time for personal fulfillment and quality time with their families—without a sacrifice in pay or prestige. And rightfully so. Working moms are causing other single employees and men to reconsider work-life balance issues, too. This is putting pressure on companies to change.

There’s no question that women are changing the character of the workplace, but for many, it’s not changing fast enough. Many companies look at any resume gap as a typical warning sign, not considerate of the fact that mothers have additional stresses and responsibilities compared to other potential employees. So a mom with an employment gap of a few years may never get a call back and the opportunity to explain her position, or resume.

This is where an online degree can help mothers stay on track, in the game, and come out stronger after any event that requires time away from work. If you want more than the typical dozen weeks of maternity leave to see your child through their formative years, an online degree can keep you competitive, up-to-date, and trained while you take time off. All from the convenience of your home, so you never have to miss an amazing moment with your loved ones.

It makes you more valuable.

In general the more education you have, the more you’re worth. If you’d like to go back to work in a job like the one you held before, consider getting a Master’s degree: either in your specific industry or concentration, or in a field that would give you an edge over the competition. MBA degrees are especially useful: business sense is needed in a wide variety of positions and is widely accepted among employers as a reason for a greater salary. Consider a degree that your employer would love to see on a resume, but that few other applicants have.

It fills that resume gap.

It can be tough to make yourself look good to employers with a wide gap in your resume. But fill that gap with school, study, and an advanced degree, and you can make it disappear, while commanding a higher salary for your credentials. It’s a win-win.

With a degree program instead of a gap, you’ll stop looking like a mommy-track dropout and start looking like an ambitious self-starter with huge potential. You may not even have to bring up the fact that you left your last job to take care of a child—you could explain that you left for the opportunity to go back to school because you had great aspirations and were ready to make that jump into the next level of your career with an advanced degree.

You can study on your own time. And you don’t need childcare.

A full-time school schedule can be just as demanding as full-time employment—but not if you’re studying from home. Online degree programs are uniquely suited to moms with childcare responsibilities. You can go to class on your computer when you have time, not when you’re required to. The flexible schedule is extremely convenient for moms with young kids; you can study around your family’s schedule. Also, with an online degree, you can study while you’re at home with the kids – no babysitting required. This saves you money on childcare expenses, gas, and time.

Marie ultimately got an MBA through an online program while working part-time and caring for her child. Eventually, she landed a job with a pay scale 10% more than what she had before. It’s never too late to start considering your options. Our site has many of the top schools and their programs listed. Most importantly, make an informed decision and request brochures and information to know what online college degree or program is best suited for you.