Single Parents Can Make It Through College, Too
The truth about single parents is not about dating again and living a carefree life.
The truth is that no matter how you found yourself as a single parent, you now have to take steps to take care of yourself and your children with stability.
Start being realistic about the situation. Ten months from today (whatever the situation) should look like the life you want to have. Why not?
Having to wait on somebody to make ends meet is like waiting on a train that never ever comes on-time. This was me in 2012. Let me save you some trouble by suggesting to you that in joining IBMC College you can find yourself stronger, more confident and liberated.
I was 25 when I first began at IBMC College. This time I was ready to do something with my life regardless of the many times I started college, yet never finished. IBMC teaches you a lot about yourself in their Psychology of Success class. This is a unique class that everyone takes as soon as they enroll. Without it, I never would have been able to know myself well enough to finish the program. Without this class, the tragedy of a marriage that was waiting to happen would have consumed me. For those of us that have gone through the hardship of a divorce, you know of the pain of loneliness and the struggle in finding yourself once again.
The need to finish a program at IBMC hand gone from seeking a change, to the need for survival.
Depressed and losing weight quickly; being mindful and present in each class was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Taking care of two little girls alone, living with my parents and a $400.00 savings were all new obstacles. You know how they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? I loathed that saying, but it turned out to be true.
Life became about generating stability and pursuing ease in the future of my children. Going to class each is the way to reach future goals like these. I realized the most significant way to get through depressing days were to let my needs be known. It sounds easy, but some might say that asking for help feels weak or embarrassing to them. I felt utterly embarrassed about my own situation. It got to a point of hopelessness where everything felt out of my control. With nothing more to lose, I spilled out my problems to my Student Success Coach as if I had poured a large bag of marbles all over her desk.
She didn’t just listen, we worked on a plan together.
Student Success Coaches from IBMC College, are worth having in your life. When challenges get in the way of your goals, Student Success Coaches keep you emotionally and strategically in line with finishing your program. Student Success Coaches are well-connected to our community and that is why they offer students the right support and resources to keep you focused on the success of your program. You will graduate knowing you are not alone in trying to find the right steps to secure a better life for you and your family. Student Success Coaches at IBMC College are as real as they come.
Being a single parent does not mean that you are singled out. Join the hundreds of students that have attended IBMC College as single parents. Ten months from now should look like the life you want to have. Take the first steps in taking care of yourself and your family with the stability you deserve by graduating with a certificate or diploma. Take a career quiz here to find out what program is best suited for you personally.
If there was one thing that I could change, it would be this: Instead of bottling-up my emotions and enduring my perceived embarrassment, I would have seen my Student Success Coach a lot sooner.
I don’t enjoy admitting that I was wrong but it is true, what doesn’t kill you does make you stronger. Be realistic about your situation and ask yourself, “In ten months, what does my life look like?” If you do not see yourself stronger, more confident and liberated, then give yourself something that no one can take away from you. Give yourself the gift of knowledge. With it you will align your life with growing success where the days become brighter and you find yourself happier once again.
A former single parent, student, and graduate
Brissa Childers
