Try, Try Again: How Waiting (for a Time) Worked for Me
(Continued from 1)

In my area I had a choice of five local schools and online schools. My opportunity came in the form of a new program, barely a year old, at Weber State University, a state run school in northern Utah that was only ten miles from my house. I was thoroughly impressed with this program. And having looked at many other programs, and two close up, I knew this one would work well for our situation.

As a bonus, I received a substantial scholarship of $2500 per year for two years. I learned later that the university provided these in an attempt to attract students, but I didn’t know it at the time I applied. The award was enough to pay tuition for about ten classes out of the eighteen needed for a non-business student to graduate. Surely I’d have a job by then, and a way to pay for the rest. I was elated at the prospect. And this time, unemployed with time on my hands, my wife supported my decision.

During the time that followed, I worked hard in my classes and to find a job. As severance, savings and unemployment insurance ran out successively, I wondered how I could finish, and how we could keep our house. Five months into my search, we found out my wife was pregnant after twelve years of marriage and two adoptions. We were happy, but it was definitely a shock, and I still had no offer in sight. As three more pages on the calendar turned, eight months in all, I finally found a job.

We kept our house, miraculously, and my new employer had an excellent tuition assistance program. My scholarship still had over a year to go, and I now had a source for the remainder of my tuition costs. The Weber State program held all classes in the evening, well after I finished my workday. My relief was enormous.

I took only one class every eight weeks. At first, this lengthened the usefulness of the scholarship. Later, it prevented us from being overwhelmed by class and project meetings while working full time and raising a family first of two children, then three.

Yes, three. Since our family was growing, I took a summer off as we contracted to have a larger house built and do part of the work ourselves. I ended up taking two classes later in the construction process, but did well in them. Just two months after moving into our new home, my wife was pregnant again, with our fourth child.

By this time I had been going to school for over two years. I was scheduled to graduate in December, my wife to deliver in November. For that last class, I selected one that did not require any class attendance. It would consist of fifteen papers of various lengths over the course of eight weeks covering aspects of a topic I chose with my instructor. The flexibility allowed me to take a week or two off when the baby arrived without jeopardizing graduation.

As it happened, I took a month off, and we had the baby at home by accident. A hazard of waiting too long to leave for the hospital, she was born in our bedroom, healthy and with a full head of hair. My wife’s doula (a birth assistant) and I along with several paramedics and EMT’s attended her (the midwife was at the hospital waiting) but there were no complications. After caring for my wife and our other children, and taking substantial time off of work, I resumed my coursework.

In December 2004, right on schedule, I graduated with an MBA from Weber State, now with four children, two of whom were born during my studies: 11, 3, 2, and the last just five weeks old. Waiting wasn’t so bad. I met wonderful people and we shared a great experience. My grades were excellent. I learned what I went to learn, and completed the degree I had wanted for so long.

And my wife? She seldom uttered a disconsolate word during my studies. In May, we celebrated fifteen years married, and she is considering a masters degree in counseling.