How a Degree in Business Can Be a Great Option for Busy Moms

As busy parents, we rarely think of ourselves. Our minds are constantly occupied by our children, our partners, our children's education, our children's future, but almost never ourselves. This is just the nature of being a parent. That being said, as any self-help or wise friend will tell you, taking some time for yourself is vital and finding ways to better fulfill your own interests is imperative as a busy parent. Busy moms are the queens of putting off their own interests and their own goals. That being said, earning a degree in business for yourself is one of the best ways to fulfill something for yourself as well as for your family.  

As our economy continues to struggle, more and more stay-at-home moms are seeking ways to add to their income without compromising the time they spend with their children at home. This can be a difficult order to fill for many reasons, but it doesn't have to be an impossible one. Many mothers turn to the web with blogging or crafting to create parent networks and potentially add to their household income. By supplementing that passion for web business with a degree in business, busy moms can really make a splash in their income and build a career of their own. Consider an online business degree for these reasons:  

Least Impacted by Recession

With the recent recession and the rise in student loan debt, many people have been questioning the worth of a degree. While few will argue that the bachelor's degree has lost its worth, many might argue that graduate degree programs just aren't worth the cost in most cases. Unless you're determined to go into higher academia as a researcher or professor, obtaining a graduate degree can lower your chances of landing a job and put you even further into debt. That being said, a graduate degree in business is one extended degree that pays for itself in most cases. Employers seek job candidates with a degree in business, the degree is translatable to numerous areas, and degree holders have skills that can help them in home-business as well.  

Most Versatile Degree

A Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree is one of the most versatile degrees available. Those who obtain a degree in business are able to use their expertise in many different areas of enterprise. Employers from all different areas seek MBA holders for their ability to communication clearly, their understanding of business, and their well-rounded education. Importantly, MBA holders are equipped with the know-how and knowledge they need to create businesses of their own. For busy moms and parents, this can be the most valuable aspect of an online business degree. Your parenting blog that began as a hobby can be redesigned into a fulltime career with the knowledge you gain from a business degree program.  

Flexible Degree Program

As online degree holders everywhere can attest to, online degree programs offer the important aspect of flexibility for busy moms. Achieving your degree online allows you to design a class schedule that works with your home schedule. You can complete coursework, attend classes, and fulfill assignments from home while you take care of the kids and house. While, of course, keeping up with both your regular at-home duties and your class responsibilities will be difficult, doing so online makes it possible at home. With an online degree, you will become well-versed in online methods for communication. Many business programs that take place online will specifically focus a segment of time on online business and online entrepreneurship as well. This can be very useful to moms looking for alternative business options so they can remain busy, at-home moms as well as businesswomen.  

Karen Smith is a devoted freelance writer and business blogger. Her primary goal as a blogger is to inform her readers about pursuing a online business degree. She also enjoys writing about small business trends, Internet marketing, personal development, and sustainable living. Karen welcomes your comments below! 

Pros and Cons of Having Two and Having Twins

Is it twice as nice?  Or is it double the trouble?  Moms often hope for twins so they won’t have to go through more than one pregnancy to fulfill that white picket fence fantasy of a two-child household, but other moms prefer not having to take out the mortgage on the house to pay for twice the diapers.

So, let’s break it down. 

Twins vs Two: Pregnancy

Two kids, one pregnancy.  For moms who don’t enjoy carting around a beach ball belly most of the year, having twins is sort of a two-for-one coupon. 

Moms who enjoy the bonding of pregnancy can enjoy it twice by having two children without having a third one eating away at the savings. 

Twins vs Two: Parenting Experiences

With twins, the parenting experience is condensed into one.  Unlike when you have two children, twins allow parents to go through the painful stages of parenthood once.  When teething is done, it’s done.

On the other hand, twins don’t allow for do-overs.  Mothers of two get to learn from their mistakes from having the first child and applying their lessons to the second.  Mothers of twins get no such luxury, and barely get any time alone with one child instead of both. 

Twins vs Two: Playmates

Twins are each other’s playmates.  Moms of twins won’t find themselves playing with toys for hours on end while fighting off sleep; instead, the kids play with each other, leaving parents enough time for naps, chores, and blogging!

Meanwhile, twins are also rivals.  Sometimes, Mom has to skip the shower she planned while the twins were playing because they started slapping each other around.  This means that twins deal with sibling rivalry early in life and are over it by later stages, but it can make the early years difficult. 

Two children of slightly varying age can take a big-sibling, little-sibling approach to most experiences in life until about the teen years when the older one suddenly wants nothing to do with the younger one. 

Twins vs Two: The Money Thing

Two kids, one pregnancy, one empty bank account.  Twins mean having to buy two of almost anything—from diapers in early stages to college savings later.

Then again, when the kids leave the house, it’s all yours.  It does mean an empty nest, but it can also mean your freedom.  Vacation in Tuscany, anyone? 

Twins vs Two: Attention from Others

When you have twins, everyone talks to you.  This might be nice at first—especially if your own mother comes by the wash the dishes, do the laundry, walk the dogs—but it gets old quickly.  Sometimes you don’t want another living soul around you, and that’s when strangers stop you to squeeze your twins’ cheeks or your mother-in-law won’t stop showering you with useless gifts.  (Did you not insist on wooden instead of plastic toys?  Or did she pretend not to hear you again?)

Most moms of twins will tell you: it’s not a pros and cons situation.  It’s a matter of the support structure in your life as well as the stress you can take and the sleep you can lose before you crack. 

Other moms know that twins may be cute, but we wouldn’t change anything about the two we have for the world. 

Catie Keeler is the primary researcher and writer for mortgagerates.info. Her most recent accomplishments include graduating from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a degree in business and communications. Her current focus for the site involves commercial mortgage rates and current mortgage rates in texas.