Part Time MBA- A Boon for Working Couples

If you have recently tied the knot, then you know of all the extra pressure that comes with starting a new life. Things like setting up a new home, managing the new expenses, working around each other’s busy schedules and managing your finances can be all very overwhelming if not planned well. Now if you have been married for a long time and are used to you and your spouse bringing in a fixed income, then your finances will be in order. But what if one of you decides to become a student again, go back to school and get a degree? This sudden change in thought may have either come from a willingness to change your career, keep your options open or deciding after years of contemplation to actually take on a post graduate course. Your decision is no longer just about you; you need to think about how it will affect your family’s day to day life. You do, however, have the option to learn and earn at the same time. Part Time MBA may just be your answer.

With Part Time MBA, you can finally get that degree you always wanted. But learning and earning at the same time and being a spouse and having a home to look after can make your life super hectic and frustrating. It is very important to plan things, especially if there are kids in the picture. Remember that you have willingly laid out your plate and put everything on it. So just getting overwhelmed by it is not going to help you enjoy your family life, have good work days and get the most of your management course. Here are some quick tips to balance all areas of your life while pursuing a Part Time MBA.

·      Divide the chores at home. You will need maximum support and help from your spouse. So make sure you explain your schedule to them and express freely as to where all you will need help around the house.

·      Talk to your employer. After understanding your syllabus in detail, make sure to get your employer on board with your study schedule. You want to hold on to your job during the whole time, so be sincere and honest at your workplace and do not take on things, which you may fail to deliver due to other commitments.

·      Take time off. With so many things on your plate, taking on a hobby or finding any time to just sit and relax may look impossible. But make sure to set aside some down time instead of it always being about planning, routines, assignments and work commitments. If you are not having fun, you may just snap and give up at some point.

·      This goes without saying but choose the right course. There is a reason that after so long, you are choosing to back to studies. Make sure to choose the right college and course; one that will actually help you earn more money and get more job satisfaction when you are through.

·      Do not explain your decision to everyone. You may get lots of conflicting opinions about becoming a student again, but in the end only you know what is right for you so do not be afraid to go after your dreams.

Part Time MBA can be just as extensive and worth it if done from the right institute.  If you are sacrificing family time and reducing work hours, so that you can get a degree then make sure to be fully committed to your course.

Tips for a healthy work-study balance.

6 Simple tips to help balance work and study life.

In today’s day and age, multitasking is the key to  living a successful, well balanced life. With more and more students opting to work and study, and more corporate professionals starting to understand the value of executive programmes, the need to balance studies and work has become even more vital.

Prof. Mary Joyce, a senior lecturer of note, has this to say, “While it is commendable, that young students are actually learning more about work life, by taking up part-time jobs to fuel both their education and pocket money, when their job becomes their first priority, their college work really suffers, and that’s why while I per se, do not discourage the practice, I insist on a proper, job-study balance.” Similar sentiments are also expressed by HR managers of firms, who report that many a times employees become so caught up in their college assignments that their performance on the job really goes down.

This therefore shows the importance of being able to strike the right balance between work and study life. Here are 6 tips that should be able to help you do just that.

Be organized: Organise your school materials in one place so that it would be easy to find them. Mark your calendar with upcoming deadlines of both course and work projects. Start school projects early to allow sufficient time to complete them. In case other things come up in the meantime, be flexible and accommodate them into your schedule, you will be able to simply because you started your project early and are ahead of your classmates.

Create a flexible schedule: Certain parts of your schedule like class times and workdays are going to be inflexible. Fit homework and studying in when you're either not in class or not at the office. Build an easy to follow routine. Allocate non-negotiable time to both homework and studies. As a working student, you have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, unexpected errands, and sudden work crises that need to be addressed immediately. Make enough studying time in your schedule so that if something comes up, you can shift it into another slot during the week.

Communicate your schedule to your employers, friends, clients and family: Make sure that important stakeholders in your life like your employers, parents, clients and family members know your schedule. Sign up for an online calendar and send the URL to the people who depend on knowing where you are and when. Not everyone you work with will understand the demands of being a student and, similarly, not all of your classmates will understand the additional responsibilities of working while in school.

Manage stress: Stress is an inevitable part of being a student and professional - combine both together and you can expect to be stressed out. As much as you may try to prevent stress, you're going to have to learn how to relieve it as well.

●      Take breaks. Give yourself time to collect your thoughts when you need it the most, so you can re-approach things with a clear head.

●      Be active. Stretch. Swim. Run. Lift. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps relieve stress and you'll find that the more you get out and exercise, the easier work and school will seem. Exercising is commonly known to reduce stress.

●      Live. Don't forget to enjoy life. Don't get bogged down by nuisances of the demands of your academic and professional life. Take time to experience the world around you and appreciate your relationships in life. See movies, read books, watch sports. Don't forget to squeeze in the things that make life worth living into your schedule.

Be realistic: There’s never going to be enough time in a day to do everything. Get your priorities straight and don’t harrow yourself if you don’t accomplish every single task you've on your agenda on any given day. Stay positive and be thankful that you have the opportunity to make a living and get an education - two things many people in the world go without.

Remember why you're doing it: First of all don’t ever be down on yourself, and if by chance you feel demotivated or just mentally unable to cope, remember the reasons you are taking on work and studies at the same time. Sure it is like accepting a Herculean challenge that most people don't dare to attempt. You too wouldn’t be doing it if you didn't have strong reasons and motivation. Whether it's the desire to earn your own keep, pay your way through school and remain debt-free, or because you want to get ahead in your career (or switch to your dream career), or simply because you know that life is short and you want to make the most of it -- keep your goals in mind whenever it starts to feel like too much.

Following these easy to remember tips will definitely help you strike the right kind of balance in between your work and study. Remember there are a few people who can do, what you are doing, and that itself is something you ought to be proud of!

6 ways to get your teen involved in studies.

Education is the cornerstone of human development. Unfortunately for most teenagers, attending college is more about hanging out with friends than acing mid term papers. So how do you get your teens to take studies seriously? It’s not as hard as you think. Follow these simple steps to encourage your kids to take studying seriously.

1. Keep the channels of communication open

It often happens that parents are so busy with house and work related matters, that they have no time to talk to their children. Make it a point to discuss about school. What classes is he/she taking, what does your teen think of the teacher and/or ask if your teen feels he/she is learning anything. This helps you get an idea as to where your kid stands.

2. Set clear goals

Encourage your kids to discover what they love. Spend some time with them and discuss their interests. Share articles and clippings about their career interests with them. Tell him/her what grades you are expecting. Don’t pressure your kid with the weight of your expectations, instead set a grade after discussion with him/her so you can come to an agreeable result. Set consequences for poor grades as well as rewards for good grades. Keep your expectations in line with what your teen feels he/she can do.

3. Make resources available

Resources are important for high school students. It is absolutely essential that your kid has facilities like the internet, library card etc. Students in the modern age use the internet to complete their homework and to research about new topics, so make sure they have whatever they need to accomplish their goals

4. Get Involved

Show support for your teen’s school by regularly attending parent teacher meetings. Be respectful to your teens teachers but don’t be afraid to ask them the tough questions. Also while teaching your child values is your duty as a parent, you should also support him/her when they are in the right. Be an advocate for your kids and trust them when necessary.

5. Create an atmosphere of learning

Remember all human beings learn something new every day of their lives. Create an atmosphere and culture that promotes learning. Encourage your children to take part in elocution competitions, dance classes, piano lessons etc. This will teach your child that learning is an ongoing process and one that can be a lot of fun. Also promote the habit of reading. Gift your child a book on his birthday and ask him to finish reading it. Build his interests in reading as it helps a lot in building communication skills.

6. Reward your teens for their efforts

Reward your child for his/her positive efforts.  The reward can be anything but the child should feel like he/she has achieved something. For instance, tell your child that he can go out and meet his friends if he finishes his homework or alternatively you can gift him something that he’s wanted from a long time.

Getting your teens to study is no easy task. It does take time and effort, but it should become part of a daily routine that both you and your teen can enjoy more than dread.

The 7 traits of a highly effective leader.

In the wee hours of October 28th, a few Harvard students launched a website that would go on to become the biggest social networking site in the world. Of course, it wasn’t similar at all to the Facebook that we use today. It was created with a completely different purpose in mind. To compare peoples photos and vote on who is better looking. The website worked by comparing the Facebooks of nine houses within Harvard  placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the 'hotter' person". What started as a simple practical joke, paved the way for what we know as social media today. And all this was made possible, thanks to the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg and the vision of the Facebook management. Ideas often come from the strangest places. But once you have the idea figured out, what then? Do you have what it takes to lead from the front and become the next big thing. Here are some key qualities that leaders exhibit that separates them from the rest.

1. Inspire Action

A leader leads from the front and inspires people to action. The best leaders clear organizational roadblocks that constrain employees natural creativity and initiative and unleash a tremendous amount of energy in the process. A leader paints the vision for the future which inspires people to do whatever it takes to succeed.

2. Be Optimistic

You don’t want a leader who drags you down and makes you question your self worth. A leader must be one who is optimistic and learns from their mistakes. He/She must help employees grow and overcome feelings of self doubt.

3. Integrity

Employees prefer leaders who are forthright, honest and fair. Leaders need to have integrity and need to treat their employees with the same respect that they would want themselves to be treated.

4. Support and Facilitate your team

For people to do their very best work, they need an organization which allows them to take risks, tell the truth and to speak up without being worried of the consequences. A good leader must pave the way to build such an organization and foster an environment which helps employees do their very best work and get handsomely rewarded for it.

5. Communicate

Communication is the key to a great workplace environment. Leaders must ensure that they have two way communication channels set up, to talk to their employees. They also must ensure that information pertaining to work and business is shared with the concerned employees and there is a healthy back and forth of communication.

6. Confidence

Highly effective leaders, know that failure is not an option. They set up goals which are actionable and allocate resources to get them done. A good leader doesn’t overburden his employees with work, instead he/she takes the onus to ensure that work happens without an employees work life balance going for a toss.

7. Be Decisive

One of the most critical qualities of a leader is decisiveness. A good leader doesn’t sit on the fence, instead he/she makes tough calls quickly when circumstances require it. Once you have all the information needed to make a decision, don’t hesitate - make it. And once you have made this decision, stick with it no matter what.

No matter which organization you are a part of, it is possible to become a more effective leader, inspiring your people to give their very best, every day of the week. Make a point of practicing these 7 leadership traits, and you will be a highly effective leader too.