How feasible is it to work full time and earn a masters?

[mopar]

Most teachers in my district completed a masters while working full-time. It can be an intense 1.5-2.5 years, depending on the program.

[orangetea]

I didn't have a teaching job while I got my masters, but I was the co-facilitator of an education program in the university where I got my masters.

Many teachers work while they get their masters and it seems very doable.

[Ima Teacher]

I completed my masters in two years (started January 1995 and finished in December 1996) while working full time and completing my state-required internship program. I started my day at the high school teaching senior British literature, junior American literature, and freshman English. Then I drove across town to the middle school where I taught seventh grade reading and health. I met with my mentor teacher several hours a week and had to complete tasks for the internship. I drove 20 miles to the next town to take graduate classes at night (6:00-9:00) one or two nights a week. I also took summer classes.

That was also my first year of teaching, too. The previous year I had a been a day-to-day sub.

I wasn't in the education department, but the English department. I had a ton of reading and writing to do, but not the "projects" like my education department friends had to do.

[teachin4ever]

I completed my Master's while working full time. It was a two year program. Not easy, but definitely doable.

[stephenpe]

I taught 6 years and then went back to school for my masters.
The Univ. of Fla (at that time) offered many graduate courses at night and I would take one each quarter. Then take three each summer. It took two years and three summers. This was before online classes.

[waterfall]

Originally Posted by JustMe

I got my master's degree in two years and did it my first two years of teaching, including my first year doing my state-required internship...so it's very doable. I wouldn't recommend your friend follow her mother's advice. One, I just could "revert" to that, and two, I would be frearful of giving up the full time position.

Yeah, I think it's a bad idea...but I'm sure she (and her mother) thought I was pretty crazy when I picked up and moved across the country to find a job rather than staying at home for a year and hoping to get something closer. She came home for Christmas break and kept saying toward the end that she was excited to get back to her own place- I keep telling her this would be like a year long Christmas break! I think one problem is that the place where she lives has no colleges within a reasonable distance and she doesn't want to do online. I was in the same situation for the past two years- I have no interest in taking classes online but there are no actual colleges within 2 hours of here. So either way she'd eventually have to give up the job if she really wants to pursue the masters. I think it would be better to look for a FT job closer to a city though...her field is actually more open in our home state (FL teacher) and she knows she doesn't want to stay where she is forever anyway. At least then she could make sure she had a FT job elsewhere before giving up her current position. I am excited that my new job has several universities really close- so I actually have options and can really start looking into it now!