A Balancing Act: Having a Family while Attending Carlson

After I received my law degree from University of Minnesota and passed the Bar, it was my husband’s turn to get his next degree. MBA was the perfect choice since it matched his goals, skill sets, and complemented his technical education and experience.

I have been given the opportunity to share my perspective on what it is like being married to a Carlson MBA student. Before entering the program, my husband and I discussed what our expectations were in making the situation work. We talked about how we would juggle time management, child care (when the time came), finance, and our relationship. We came to an agreement in each subject before he signed on to Carlson.

Between working full time and going to school as a part time student, time management became a very important determining factor in our conversation. One of the compromises we made was to have my husband devote much time as possible with family on weekends, as we knew that several weeknights would have to be focused on class.

Our daughter was born two years into my husband’s program. In order to help out more with the new addition to our family, Jeff took online courses for the semester after our baby was born. Unfortunately, we do not have a good sleeper. Since I was staying at home, I took the evening shifts while my husband took the morning shifts with our newborn. Luckily, Carlson gives him the flexibility to take just a few classes at a time and still make significant progress towards his degree.

I'm ready to go to Carlson with Dad!

We knew seeking an MBA would be a substantial financial investment in our family’s future. We are managing our situation with a combination of student loans, delaying major purchases, and scaling back leisure activities.

Before our baby was born, there was no significant negative impact of night school to our relationship. It was likely due to our early conversations about expectations before starting the program. Babies are challenging, with or without night school. We are still coming up with ideas to have quality moments. Our Sunday’s are reserved for family time. Most evenings, we take an hour or two after our daughter goes to bed to unwind and relax together.

Getting ready for school!

Although we still struggle to find the perfect work, school, and life balance, things are working out. Carlson is the perfect fit for my husband’s education. It’s great to see how excited he is about his courses. On his school nights, I look forward to the facts and insight my husband shares with me from his various classes. With his education coming to a close soon, do you think it’s time for me to get my next degree?

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