Hello ladies and gentlemen. First, Merry Christmas to all. Now, I would like know your opinions on being able to obtain a BS in EE while working full-time. I'm asking because next semester I will transfer from a CC and I have been working full-time up until this point. Do any of you think working will take too much time away from my studies? How any of you done this before? Thanks
I did. So did my dad, actually. My dad did it while working at the university's physical plant. I worked 35 hours/week at a consulting engineering firm and took a full load of classes (12+ credits/semester and 6+ for summer school) and graduated in 4.5 years (with a 3.something or other GPA). I was married but had no kids at the time.
Here's what I had going for me:
-An understanding employer. Mine wanted me to graduate, so that made it waaaaay easier.
-Easy access to school. Mine was a 10 minute walk, so taking a class here and there was easier.
-Excellent time management skills. I had my days planned in 15 minute intervals and stuck to it (in general). You won't have significant time to play catch-up, so if you get behind you're screwed.
-Math skills. As an EE, there's all kinds of mathmatical funny business that my peers seemed to struggle with and I didn't. Not to brag, because I believe that it's simply training and being having strong algebra skills, really. I also seem to naturally pick up topics quickly.
-Willingness to have no social life for weeks on end. I was engaged either with school or work from 7:00am to 10
m 5 days a week, usually 15-20 hours on the weekend.
-An understanding partner (if in a relationship). Goes with the previous item.
It takes significant focus and commitment, but it's doable. It also takes the right "environmental" conditions, if that makes sense.