Comments on: Going Back to School… French Style

By: susaninfrance

susaninfrance — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:09:20 +0000

stumbled upon your blog i don’t even know how! sounds exciting…i’ve just moved back to the US after a decade mostly in france (3 kiddos and french husband as well)! I was always perplexed about how to work over there and so, we came back here for a little while. but I am also on the lookout for what to do professionally in france and it is nice to hear about your path and what you are doing and I will be following your blog to see how it goes. You obviously have marketing talent with the professional look of the blog. Now I am going to go back and read some of your other posts.

By: Frugal Trenches

Frugal Trenches — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:02:53 +0000

Well done you! How will you cope with childcare? So exciting! Frugal Trenches's last blog post..Daily Tracking - July 28th and 29th!

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:12:55 +0000

@Frugal Trenches
Ummm, not quite sure! Actually we have a childcare provider who is fabulous, and she will be doing the majority, ie picking the older two up at lunch time and after school and taking care of the baby. But she doesn’t work Wednesday afternoons, so that leaves us in a minor pickle. (There is no school in France on Wednesdays). I’m still trying to figure that one out!

By: Lin

Lin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:43:08 +0000

Congrats! Take the big step!

I am still working on my AA. I’ll graduate in December and then go on for a BA to teach ESL, I’m only 53 . But I did change course in the middle, and yes, they really frowned on it. In fact, if it weren’t for scholarships, I would be paying 100%, since they cut my funding for having too many hours toward an AA, since my AAS hours don’t count toward my AA, but they do count toward financial aid. I am so glad I put my priorities on good grades and high volunteer and community service participation. It paid off in the scholarships, which cover all my books and tuition for the semester.

By: Eponine

Eponine — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:16:51 +0000

Congratulations on this big step! I'm sure you'll do great. When I was in grad school, the people who had the most responsibilities (marriage, kids, another job, whatever) were always the most on the ball because they were more organized than the rest of us.

A B.A. in French isn't worth much in the U.S. either, at least not in some people's eyes. It's one of those degrees where people ask "But what are you going to DO with it?"

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:01:43 +0000

@ Meegan,

Well, I've always wanted to get a graduate degree, so that's been a big part of the motivation. It's on the 'things to do before I die' list in fact! The other big factor is that there are very few opportunities for advancement in teaching in France. Either you are part of the National education system, or you open up your own language school, or you work for someone else. Working for someone else involves working in a small company, and you can't really evolve in your job. So seeing as how I was feeling a little stifled, the lack of advancement opportunities were a big motivator in wanting to go back to school.

By: Meegan

Meegan — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:36:32 +0000

Kelly, that’s so exciting! I hope it’s a relatively smooth transition back into study mode for you and your family.
My question to you – what, other than being a little tired of your current job, made you take the leap back to school?

By: My Daily Dollars

My Daily Dollars — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:11:33 +0000

Congratulations! It sounds like you've found something that will really interest you. I can relate to teaching getting a bit stale! Best of luck! My Daily Dollars's last blog post..A Fabulous Wedding for $4,534!

By: Queen of the Click

Queen of the Click — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:11:20 +0000

Congrats on going back to school for a Masters.

I did go back to school and it wasn’t as hard as I made it out to be in my head. I went back for a Masters as well and I thought I would be out of practice in doing research, papers and presentations. Yet, things fell right into place and I did a second masters because I enjoyed it to much.

There’s always something to learn and I think people are at their best when they are taking classes (in anything really). I learned to sew on a sewing machine this spring and it was so invigorating.

Queen of the Click’s last blog post..RIP Randy Pausch

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:24:33 +0000

I went back to school last August to get my Masters in Nursing Nurse Practitioner degree. I had been away for two years but this had always been a part of my career goals. Unfortunately, I’m taking out loans to pay, but when I’m finished it will take only a year and a half to pay it back so I feel it’s more than worth it. I want to wait to have kids until I’m finished with school. With being married for six years this month my husband did not want to wait much longer so saving up for it before hand was not an option. It would have taken 12 years on RN salary! I love being in school, but am looking forward to being finished next October.