So you’ve decided to go back to school. Truly, parties should be planned in honor of adults when they decide to better themselves and their options for the future by going back to school on top of all of the other responsibilities adults face on a daily basis. Maybe you’ve been wanting to go back to school for a while, or maybe you’re the kind of person who just knows when it’s time and makes it happen. Whatever your personality, going back to school is a big deal, and Washington Tech Institute offers you our sincere support and congratulations on making such an important decision.
While we want to offer our sincere support and congratulations, not everyone is as excited with a big announcement like that. Hearing that a family member who you rely on is heading off in a new direction can be scary and cause some insecurities to pop up in both adults and children. WTI has some tips for telling your family you’re headed back to school without causing panic attacks or major life-disruptions.
Be Open
First of all, start talking about wanting to go back to school before you just spring this major life decision on the people you care about and who care about you. Talk to them about the research you’re doing so that everyone understand you mean business. Springing big news on kids especially can make change difficult, and by modeling the decision making process, you’re also teaching them a skill that they will eventually need to use as well. Deciding on a program of study that suits your personality and goals is something that not all young people have seen done, so give your kids an advantage by including them. Sharing your journey with a partner is an important step as well. Even if you don’t need their help making decisions, keeping them in the loop early on will help them prepare for the changes ahead in your shared lives.
Share Your “Why.”
Making sure that your friends and family members understand your motivation and passion will help everyone understand why you want to make such an important move. Include the ways that going back to school for new or additional training will benefit you, but also include how this move will benefit everyone involved as well. You definitely want to include any benefit to your standard of living that going back to school will provide, but talking about how it will help you live a more fulfilling life is important to share as well. The positive people in your life will feel happy for you and will grow and benefit from sharing in this adventure with you, so share your excitement!
Be Realistic
When it comes to going back to school, things are going to change. Don’t make assurances that you aren’t realistically going to be able to keep. Be realistic about your time and what you will have to say “no” to and what you might need help with. Some of the people in your life won’t be able to support you as you make this big move, and others might be people you leave behind if they can’t approve of and rejoice in your willingness to learn and grow as an individual. However, pretending that life is going to be the same even if you already know that you might need to rely more heavily on friends and family as you move into this new chapter of your life isn’t going to help anyone. It only avoids the inevitable for a time.
By being honest about our limitations, you can also plan ahead to avoid any problems or miscommunication. It’s okay to skip elaborate holiday plans and expect others to jump in to help with household responsibilities that you typically do. Set your boundaries and know that this is a temporary layover in an entire life.
You might find that some of the people in your life are not as supportive as others, and some people might even think you’re making a mistake. When you face this type of adversity about something you’re excited about, it can be very discouraging. However, you have options. First, treat yourself well. Your voice has to be separate from the negative voices of unsupportive friends or family. Next, as you attend school and change careers, you’ll have opportunities to build your own community with people who have the same drive, determination, and interests as you. Recognizing that negative relationships can take a back seat or, frankly, get out of the car can be a freeing realization.
Instead, focus on the people who are ready to support you and share in your positive hopes, dreams, and hard work. They will help you keep moving forward toward the better life ahead of you.
Washington Technical Institute
If you’re looking for a new career or you’re searching for an extra boost for your resumé, Washington Technical Institute’s courses can be completed in a matter of months, with daily or bi-weekly start dates. Such flexible start dates make these programs unique and much more accessible for our students. Most of our certificates can be earned as a self-paced program, meaning that you can work at your own pace to complete your work, even finishing early if you have the time and motivation to do so. An additional benefit of WTI’s programs is that we offer affordable pricing and monthly payments to help our students leave school without debt.
Although our goal is to help our students graduate their programs with little to no debt, we also recognize that some students might need to utilize a loan for their educational investment. We are excited to announce our partnerships with Climb Credit or Ascent, student lending companies focused on financing career-building programs.
If you’re ready to enroll and start working on a plan for the personal and professional benefit of professional development, you can register for your program online through our website. Still have questions about our programs? Feel free to call us at 800-371-5581 or text us at 952-465-3702. Our admissions specialists will be happy to answer whatever questions you have.
