A few years ago, I decided that it would benefit my life and my career to earn a Master’s Degree in Education. I looked around my city at several programs, and settled on a small private college that just happened to be down the street. I started the application process, eager to begin the adventure.

Then, I discovered I was pregnant with my 3rd child. I knew that it was not the right time to go back to school, so I put it on the back burner, thinking when this baby was four or five, I’d look at it again.

One night, in my pregnancy-induced insomnia, I found myself searching through online schools on the internet. It hadn’t occurred to me to go to school online, but something in the original ad I looked at caught my attention, and held it. I filled out information requests for several schools and began to look in-depth at several programs.

As my search became more serious, I looked at the pros and cons of going back to school. The pros were easy, as I had already looked at them in making my initial decision: A master’s degree would give me more credibility as an educator and a writer, with greater income potential in the future; I enjoy learning; and it would feel good to do something I had wanted to do for a long time. The cons, however, were big ones: I would be starting school with a two-month-old infant to care for (on top of the rest of my children and other responsibilities); I hadn’t been in school for 13 years, and wasn’t sure if I was up to the challenge; and it was going to put financial strain on our already tight budget. After further thought, I decided the two-month-old was both a pro and a con - young infants sleep a lot, and I would be finished with my program shortly after his first birthday; I also knew I was good at typing with a sleeping baby on my lap.

I knew that there would be challenges ahead of me, but I live by a favorite quote: “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” In this case, I would get my degree. Of course there was a chance I could fail, but if everything in life came with a 100% guarantee, I think it would be boring. I jumped in with both feet just two months after my son was born.

There were hard nights, and long weekends, but overall it was worth it. Going to school isn’t for everyone, and school online isn’t for everyone either. For me, however, the choice was clear: there was an opportunity, and I went for it. Is it time for you to go for it, too?