Sounds like you are doing really great.

When I was in my early 20's and in grad school, I found it difficult to stay focused. I wanted to date and go to parties and such. For me, grad school was MUCH more academically challenging than college. I had never developed good study or time-management skills in college because it had been so easy for me. Then WHAM! grad school was a totally different animal. I finished my masters and stayed for the summer and one more semester. I wrote one paper on the beginnings of my PhD thesis, which was on a new theory combining math, quantum mechanics, and quantum chemistry. Even the brightest of students in our department spent huge amounts of time and concentration on their schoolwork. I was just not prepared for that. Some of my fellow classmates began to start looking for jobs; I went to one job fair, got an offer and took it.

Some people will tell you to finish school now, because it is so difficult to go back. That may be true for some/most people. I think everyone needs to do what is best for them at the time they are doing it. Sometimes I regret leaving, but for the most part, I realize that it was just not the right time for me. I was not disciplined, and my mind was on the future - a job and a family. Now that I have those things, I think I can be more focused.

When I was in grad school, we "single students" were always amazed that the married ones with children seemed so much more organized and had their work done so quickly, while we were always scrambling at the last minute to get our projects and homework completed. I now understand that, as necessity is the mother of invention, if you don't have a lot of free time, you tend to be able to schedule it better. I'm sure these married students didn't have it easy, by any means; they were just more organized.

For me, it shouldn't be a big deal to go back. The one "good" thing about being a stay-at-home-mom is that I do not have an income now, so I wouldn't be changing our way of living. If, for example, my husband wanted to quit work and go to school, it would be a big life change for us. I think if my family were dependent on my income, I would not go back to school because working all day and then taking classes and doing research at night would be so draining. I know many people do it, and I admire them, but I am just not that energetic.

Best Wishes,
Tina.