Women can have it all. At least, they have the option to. It no longer goes without saying whether a woman will pursue a career, being a stay at home mom, a working mom, an independent single woman, or an educated married woman. Nor are many of these these mutually exclusive. Many women pursue education, a career, and a fulfilling family life, even having children.
This plethora of options represents an incredible time for opportunities. Historically, even when women had much of a choice according to society, their choices defined them in ways that went beyond the choices themselves. Why would a mother want a masters degree? That’s a question that would have been asked a few decades ago, but no longer.
Part of this expansion of options is the fact that women have more educational options than they’ve ever had before, thanks to internet colleges and universities and online educational programs. Now, a woman can pursue her education while staying home to take care of the kids, or while maintaining a 9-5 job. Even a single mom working shifts can fit in higher educational goals with the vast number of self-paced programs available to her.
Distance learning via technology has both expanded the number of options for both women and men who wish to continue their educations and it has “shrunk” the academic world. Women are not required to choose major based on the school’s driving distance or public transit accessibility. Online classes give her many more choices between institutions of higher learning. And more varied and accessible educational goals equal more varied potential career goals.
For women who plan to juggle a current job, education, and a family–or any two of the three–the most important concern is now planning. Organized and efficient pursuit of goals when “having it all” is paramount to predicting success.